Tears of an Angel
by Love Is Always Binding
Summary: Ava a gypsy servant girl who is in love with another man has a unique past but is forced to live with the Count and endure the harsh reality of surviving within the castle walls. She hates him greatly with his rules, antics, and punishments. Though he admires her fire and passion, Aleera plots the ultimate revenge to finally rid Ava and have Dracula all to herself. R&R Please!
1. The Beginning

Tap, tap, tap….

The window continued to tap until Ava wrestled herself out of bed. "What in the hell?" She muttered to herself as she walked to the window.

Her eyes were barely open when she looked out, but instantly saw Mello standing before her in the field. "Do you know what time it is Mello?" she asked him with a tired plea in her voice.

"Oh come on Ava, I just got back into town. Come down so I can see you." He replied with a grin. Ava smiled and thought for a second. It didn't take long for her to decide. Quietly she grabbed her shawl and climbed down the gutter. Suddenly her foot slipped on the mildewed metal and fell. But Ava landed in the arms of Mello. He held her in his arms in silence for a moment with Ava's eyes wide open now. "Are you awake now?"He said laughing. He put her down and gave her a long hug. It had been a long time since they had seen one another, almost a month to the day.

They ran off to the corn field behind them hand in hand. Both of them grew up in orphanage homes most of their lives and felt an adrenaline rush pulse through their veins when they ran off together into the night. It felt like they were running away from their problems. Ava was turning twenty this very night. Mello was twenty-two and had a job in the market as a bread boy for the baker. Ava was still living at her orphanage she grew up as, but as a servant for the woman who ran it. Mello no longer lived in a his orphanage but lived where he could at friend's houses from time to time until he was kicked out for overstaying his welcome. They had been best friends since they could remember and always stood for one another. He was her soul mate and Ava loved every moment she was able to spend with him.

They ran until they found their spot in the woods where a weeping willow stood by the river. In the summer they use to fish in the river for hours but almost never returned with a reward. They sat down together underneath the hanging branches and studied the moon together.

Ava looked at Mello's masculine face. He had long dark brown hair with untamed waves caressing his face. His eyes were a deep hazel that seemed to often glisten in any light. Underneath all that stubble, was a fresh goatee that shaped his jaw to perfection. He had a lean but muscular figure with tan skin all brought up by the farm work he used to do while living in his foster home. He had a spirit of a wild stallion, rules meant absolutely nothing to him, and he made it a point to never follow or live by them. He did whatever his heart desired, and Ava loved that quality of him.

He noticed her gazing up at him. He took the opportunity to admire the angel that sat in his arms. She was gorgeous beyond means. No other girl in town or anywhere else in his travels compared to her. She had piercing green eyes that could tear a man's heart out within a second. Her crimson red hair was luscious and wavy in perfection. It seemed no matter how tired or hard at work she was, there wasn't a moment where she wasn't slightly less beautiful. But the one feature that melted him instantly was her contagious smile. She lit up a room the moment she walked in, and it intensified when she made one of her quick witted jokes.

"Where do you think Beatrice is sending me away?" Ava asked.

Mello shrugged, "Maybe off to some foreign country where she will never have to remember how much trouble you've caused." He grinned thinking of what they had done together and how they had also gotten in trouble together, just like brother and sister.

"I want to leave and go where I want to go, but for all I know she'll send me to hell if she really could." They both laughed, knowing that the old hag was unpredictable.

"Where will you be after I leave?" Ava asked Mello with concern in her voice. "I'll be around. You'll never know when I'll show up. You could be in London and you might see me there."

They sat in silence, thinking to themselves of what might happen to each other. "Well," Ava began to say, "I think we should meet somewhere when we have enough money and run together and travel the world like we dreamed of doing when we were younger. Forget what everyone is telling us to do. Just go out and do whatever we want to do."

Mello smiled, "I think that is the best idea you have ever come up with in our entire trouble making career." They fell fast asleep in each other's arms.

(Transition)

"Ava wake up! Ava!"Mello whispered harshly with his finger to his lips telling her to not make a sound. Mello got up and took Ava's hand and led her deeper in the woods where they could not be seen. They hid behind a bush as Mello pointed his finger to the open sky. The large crescent shaped moon hung high above them and was a glowing an eerie white, but a dark shadow in the moon had caught her attention.

"Oh my…." Mello quickly put his hand over Ava's mouth.

Up in the night sky was a demon casting a shadow in front of the moon. Hovering over the land looking like it was in search of something. It screeched into the night. Its voice echoed in Ava's ears. She couldn't imagine how such a thing could make an ear shattering noise. It had a massive wingspan like a bat, but an animal like body of a man. It was enormous in size. Suddenly it dived down into the forest. They lost sight of the hideous creature.

"We need to go," Mello said franticly.

They ran in the opposite direction straight back to Ava's orphanage. They kept looking up into the sky for the creature, dodging any open areas in risk of exposing them to danger. By the time she had gotten to the gutter again, they were out of breath and the sun was coming up.

"What was that thing?" Ava asked.

"A dark creature, one you never want to encounter." Mello looked up still.

"You don't think it was a…" Ava couldn't finish her sentence before he interrupted "A vampire? Yes I believe it was." He finally looked at her. She had a sudden panic in her face. He knew she had never seen a vampire let alone come dangerously close to being its prey.

"It will be alright." He said with a reassuring smile. "It probably just needed to eat, you know how they only kill so many a month."

"Yes but they never come this way, its maybe one or two a month. We have had four so far." Ava said, not buying into his charm.

"Just go to bed and forget what you saw, ok." Mello said. He hugged her and smiled, "everything will be ok Ava, and I will always be there for you. Write me if something happens and you need to get out of wherever Beatrice is sending you. You know what to do. And don't worry about tonight, they are probably just visiting and have gone back to Transylvania by now." Ava nodded her head. She began to climb up the gutter and soon into her window.

Ava laid her head down for no more than a minute before Beatrice slammed open the door and began to bark orders at Ava.

"Get your arse up right now and go to the market and get some bread for the little ones!" She slammed the door closed.

Ava slowly wrestled herself out of bed and walked downstairs. The smell of sausage and bacon fill the kitchen and the sound of shrieking children went unnoticed. Ava grabbed her shawl and a basket. She was about to open the door, but then she stopped.

She walked to Beatrice, "where are you sending me off to?" Beatrice turned around. She was a ghastly woman. She was severely heavy set, with unmanageable black greasy hair that was always put up in a messy bun. She had large moles covering her body, several protruding ones on her face. Her fingers were always caked with dirt and grime from her intense work and labor of taking care of children with a bottle of the best vodka by her side. She always reeked of liquor, giving her a more unsettling appearance.

She had a grin on her pinched face knowing that it was killing Ava that she didn't know where she was being sent to.

"Well my dear," Her heavy body walking to Ava with her hands on her hips, "I was thinking you would do well in a place with discipline, a place where you can learn manners and a place where there will be too many chores to do that you can't possibly get in trouble."

Ava stood there with an eyebrow cocked. "And that is?"

Beatrice laughed knowing where she was sending her. "You will be a servant for a Count. You will be under his rule until he feels he doesn't need you anymore. Then you will be a free person. For all I know you could be there forever or until you die. It's up to him."

Ava didn't take kindly to her cruel joke. Trying to talk to a drunken drunk was difficult as it was, but trying to get answers was even more difficult. "Where is this Count?" Ava asked sternly.

"He lives in Transylvania where all the hellish beasts like you run off to" Beatrice began to laugh at Ava. Ava couldn't believe she was sending her that far away from her home. She grew up here her entire life. Even though she hated it, it was all she knew.


	2. Left to Defend

The walk to the morning market seemed to take forever. Ava was lost in her own thoughts. Who was this Count she would be working for? How would he treat her? What if he was worse than Beatrice? Questions raced through her mind, keeping her distracted from the everyday market crowd.

"One loaf please." She said to the old bread man. He gladly smiled, and hobbled over to the basket with bread, handing her a fresh loaf. She paid him, and continued through the market.

"A bag of apples please." She said.

The woman behind the stand stared at her, noticing she was seemingly distracted. "That will be 14 miss."

Ava snapped out of her thoughts, "But they are usually only 10 Ma'am." Ava replied with defensive tone to her voice. The woman stared at her with a look that could have killed. Feeling the overwhelming need to get back home, Ava gave her the money and left disgruntled.

Questions burned inside her, making her feel more and more anxious of her future. She raced back home as quickly as she could, making it just in time before it began to rain. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, her chest rising up and down, trying to catch her breath. Beatrice met her in the kitchen, looking at her with an eerie grin across her face. She could sense Ava's fear, and anticipation. Ava handed her the bag filled with the food she bought from the market. Silence occupied the room. Ava sat in front of the fireplace on the old rocking chair. She rocked back and forth, trying to figure out a way to approach Beatrice with her questions about the Count. Soon it was evening time and the other children were eating their boiled cabbage and bread, not saying a word, trying to savor the taste in their mouths.

Beatrice had already started to drink her homemade still. There always seemed to be a never ending amount of alcohol in the still. Beatrice had the habit of drinking until she couldn't stand and slurred all of her words until you couldn't understand her anymore. Stumbling over to Ava, she sat in another chair in front of the fireplace and looked at Ava with the same grin on her face as she had before.

"Ava…Ava…Ava. My dearest Ava. Do you know how much trouble you have put me through since you came to me?" Ava stared at her, knowing to expect the lecture she gave every time she was drunk.

"You have been with me for a…very…very…long time. If it wasn't for all the money I get for raising such a brute like you, I would have kicked you right out of here. Yes I would have." Beatrice chuckled for a moment, but Ava somehow mustered the courage to ask her the burning questions

"Who is this Count I will be working for? Do you know anything about him?" Ava stared at Beatrice, wanting her to answer. "All I know is that he has a wife, and that he is a very….very….wealthy man. Maybe you can make a little extra if you let him have a look at your arse when his wife isn't around." She burst out laughing.

Ava asked ignored her disgusting comment. "He lives in Transylvania. Maybe you will come across one of those flying demons when you're there. Just…..Just….make sure you don't get bit, I don't want him to waste any money."

Beatrice got up and began to stumble up the stairs. "You'll be leaving in the mornin' so make sure you pack your things. I don't want any reminders of you here when you leave."

Ava stared into the fireplace, hoping that she won't have to go through beatings and trouble at her new home that she had encountered all of her childhood while living with Beatrice.

(Transition)

The carriage was all black, with a smell of sweat and cigars lingering in the coach. The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable, and no matter how hard she tried to sleep, she would be startled by a sudden bump from a pothole in the dirt covered road. It was a cold and gloomy day, with nothing to look forward to. Occasionally the sun would appear from behind the clouds, but only for a few moments. It was the longest 8 hours she ever spent doing anything. There was nothing to look at but dead trees, snow and black dirt. Transylvania was one of the most unflattering places she had ever been. Everything seemed dead and nothing had color. Even the cattle were either black or white.

"We'd be to the castle in a few minutes miss!" yelled the driver. The black Transylvanian horses raced up the steep mountain road. Ava could look out of one side of the window and she could see the bottom of the mountain, showing how close the carriage was to the edge of the road. Ava felt safer looking down at her feet, praying that she would make it alive to the castle.

Within a few minutes, the carriage had slowed and come to a complete stop. Ava looked out of the window. She could only see to the top of the front entrance. She slowly climbed out, feeling overwhelmed by the castle's intimidating features. It was larger than any other castle she had ever encountered. Everything seemed to be in larger sizes. The front door was at least 15 feet high, the windows scaling the sides of the castles, the towers large and protruding from the castle base.

The driver came from behind her and handed her suitcase. Her whole life was packed into this one suitcase, showing how little she had done with it. Now she would be here continuing on the same path. A servant stood at the door, hands gracefully together in front of his body. He was an elderly man, with classic butler attire. His hair was white with age, and his face was filled with no emotion.

"Welcome. May I ask you your name?" He asked with a worn voice. "Ava Brassova." She replied timidly. Leading the way into the castle, Ava was taken back. The castle was decorated in gold and marble. The curtains hanging on the long windows were a deep maroon red; the floors were marble, the staircase engulfed in gold. Portraits hung on every wall of unknown people, but who were dressed as royalty. Ava couldn't imagine a single bit of dust anywhere in this castle because of how clean it was. She could see her reflection when looking at the floor. Mirrors hung on the walls, seeming to expand the room. Room after room, it was decorated in everything in the finest. Nothing was out of place or even remotely uncared for.

"I hope you can remember your way through out the castle, I am too busy to show you every room. You are to wake up every morning an hour before sunrise to begin chores. You will clean, dust, mop, sweep, anything and everything. Nothing and I repeat, nothing will be dirty. Do you understand me?" the butler said not stopping or turning around to see Ava nod her head.

"You will do everything that you are told to do. If not done right, the Count will punish you however severely he chooses. You are to show the Count your upmost respect, by addressing him as Sir or Count. His wife has the same stipulations. Any slip of the tongue will result in punishment, and if it continues to happen, well let's just say it won't." He said smiling wickedly.

"Now you may freshen up a bit, but I expect you to be downstairs in the kitchen in 30 minutes to start chores. Do I make myself clear?" Ava nodded.

He had led her to a small cramped room with one window, a bed made of straw, and a candle on a night table. The room was barely big enough for the bed, and it was hard to even move around in the room. The servant left, closing the door behind him. Ava sat on her bed looking around the room wondering what Beatrice had gotten her into. Never before had she been this intimidated by her surroundings. She only now wished that Mello was here to comfort her and remind her that they would run away together to live out their lives.


	3. Meeting a Stranger

The cold hard stone floor rubbed wildly against Ava's knees as she scrubbed the floor, trying desperately to get that one bit of dirt that was bugging her. The scrub brush had turned from a light brown to a dark black like color only after a few hours of scrubbing the dark weapons room. Her back ached, relaxing when she hunched over but resisted against her when she would stand or sit up straight. She could feel her muscles slowly stretch to their limits as she slowly stood up, the wet brush dripping dirty water on the watery floor.

Ava wanted to go back home so she could strangle Beatrice for giving her this job of misery. "Oh my God." She muttered to herself while her back went into a spasm. She looked around at her mess of dirty water. The only thing that mattered though was that the floor was clean. Letting out an angered sigh she walked over to the old broom cupboard, grabbing the mop. Slowly it picked up the water, but it took too long to do in Ava's mind.

Spending another hour mopping the floor, when he had completed her ridiculous task she sat in the corner, wiping the sweat off her brow. It suddenly became hot in the castle for Ava as she sat on the floor, her back against the wall massaging her legs from the hard task. The stone was cold, feeling good on the back of her head as she leaned her head back. The weaponry room was massive. Every type of weapon you could imagine was in this room. Some were from hundreds of years, others more recently made, but were all in the best shape. She had spent all evening cleaning this one room that seemed to span on and on. She was now relieved she had completed this daunting chore and could go and rest for a few hours until she had to get back up to do chores again. It was nearly midnight, and the walk to her room was painful. Her legs felt like rubber and she felt as though she could pass out at any moment from exhaustion.

While walking down the hallway, Ava heard footsteps in the distance. She couldn't imagine who would be up at this hour of the night. Ava stopped and stood there, wondering who it was. She had yet to meet the Count and his wife. It was quite odd that neither of them had been seen in the five days that Ava had been there. The only light in the hallway was that of the candles that were going dim. A shadow had cast itself on the wall of the spiral staircase. The footsteps grew louder and the shadow slowly became a man's figure. Ava realized that it was the Count, but was afraid that he would see her. She suddenly feared he would be upset with her lurking around the hallway. There was a dark portion of the hallway that wasn't lit, the wax had melted away and the candle had gone out. She quickly ran over to the dark corner. Curling up in a ball, her knees tucked to her chest, she tried to hide, feeling she had nowhere else to go.

A tall figure appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He was a ghostly pale man, with long black hair elegantly pulled into a ponytail. A single earring hung from his ear. He was dressed in a military black jacket, black pants, and black riding boots. But the most striking part of him was his eyes. Even from a distance, his blue eyes were captivating. They were the most beautiful shade of blue she had ever seen. Her heart began to beat faster as he walked down the hallway. He walked with power and intensity like he was on a mission. Ava stood in the corner, holding her breath, trying to calm her nerves. Never before had she feared someone like this. She had never met him, nor talked to him, yet she felt afraid of him.

Suddenly he stopped in the middle of the hallway. His eyes glanced over where she was hiding and around the hallway. He seemed to notice she was there, but was unsure. Ava watched him look back over in her direction and stare at her. With a snap of his fingers, the flame of the candles grew a few more inches, lighting the hallway even more, but somehow still concealed her. Slowly the flames dimmed back to its original size. He slowly walked over with a expressionless look on his face. Nearing closer and closer, Ava pressed herself against the wall. She stopped short just a couple of feet away. Slowly he crouched down and put his hand out trying to feel her. Ava watched his fingers close in on her, but just as he was only a mere inch away from her face, a woman's voice bellowed from the distance.

"Dracula…where have you been my darling?" a woman appeared from the same stairs the Count had come from. Her hair was long and black, her face just as pale. Her eyes though were a dull brown. She was a beautiful woman, but she seemed older than what she appeared to be. She was dressed in a satin robe, revealing the crevasse of her breasts.

Ava's heart jumped in fear. She couldn't believe the name that came out of the woman's mouth. It couldn't have been Count Dracula. Though it would all make sense, but it was still unbelievable to her. How could Beatrice not tell her she was working for Dracula? Everything seemed to fit together, as the Count and his wife talked.

"Darling I'm hungry. Why don't we go hunt tonight? I have been locked up in this castle now for days drinking bottled blood. I want to actually hear the person scream when I eat." The woman begged the Count.

"Aleera, please don't wine. It's very unlady like of you. I will find you someone with the finest blood. But I must finish my work first before I go out." Dracula replied with a coo in his voice. He began to kiss her neck. She purred with delight. He ran his fingers down her back trying to suppress the feeling between his legs. He had no time to do what he wanted with her. Ava watched, hoping they would leave soon so she could go back to her room.

After a few moments of intense teasing Dracula walked Aleera back up the stairs. Ava ran down to her room as fast and as quietly as she could. Once she reached her room, never before had she felt so relieved to be in that room. Quickly she fell asleep from exhaustion.

(Transition)

"Ava, go help Kelly in the kitchen!" barked one of the older servants. There were about 15 girls who worked throughout the castle, doing a variety of jobs. Most of them had not said a word her Ava, but Kelly in particular was one to strike up a conversation. It had been 2 days since Ava had encountered the Count and learned who he truly was. She hadn't gotten very much sleep and was always on her toes, wondering if the Count was near.

Walking into the kitchen stood Kelly, a young girl, in her early twenties who was slaving away over the fireplace, trying to warm the pot of blood to its right temperature. She had short blond hair, with brown eyes. Her skin was pale like everyone else's from being cold and tired all the time. But she always had a smile on her face.

"How are you?" Kelly asked Ava. "Tired. I don't know how people can do this. I have never been this tired before. Haven't you been here for a few years now?"

Kelly laughed. "Yes actually I have been here since I was sixteen. My parents sold me to the Count so they could keep the farm. But you get use to it after a while. The first couple of weeks are always the hardest."

"Sounds familiar." Ava said in agreement. "I grew up in an orphanage since I was five, and the day I turned 18, Beatrice sold me the Count."

"Do you remember your parents?" Kelly asked looking up at her. "No, but I do remember a little bit of my life before I came to the orphanage. But you wouldn't believe it though."

"Oh please tell." Kelly said in excitement.

"Well all I remember is a castle, very much like this, and people dressed in elegance. I remember there always being ballroom dances, and people from all over speaking in languages I had never heard of. But then it just goes blank, and I don't remember anything else." Kelly stared at her with a smile. "So you think you could be royalty or something?" She asked.

"Oh I wouldn't go that far. I wonder if I am imagining those memories, or if they are real."

"Oh. That's ok then, nothing to really miss then." replied Kelly.

Kelly poured the dark liquid blood into the wine glasses. Ava stood there finishing the dishes of the previous nights. Her hands were now scrubbed down to the raw skin, making it painful to touch anything, but the cold water felt good against her skin. Scrubbing floors for five days straight were really taking a toll on her body. She was tired every day, having very little energy to do anything, but somehow she managed to get through the gruesome nights. Ava stood at the counter, leaning over it trying to regain a sudden loss of energy. Kelly noticed her hunched back.

"Why don't you go take these up to the Count's study and head off to bed. I can finish for you." Ava looked over her shoulder. "I'm fine, just tired is all." Kelly raised a suspicious eyebrow. "No, go up there and set this out and go to bed. As your friend I am ordering you to do this for yourself. You really need it." Ava smiled at Kelly. "Thank you." she said. The bottle of blood was heavy and warm in her hand, while the other hand held the two glasses between her fingers.

Finding the sitting room was easy. Kelly had told her to go down the corridor and it would be on the right first door. She had not been in this room yet and was curious of what it may hold inside of it. Opening the door slightly, checking to make sure no one was in there, her breathing became easy when it was empty. Walking in quickly, she knew Dracula would be there any moment. Setting the bottle on the glass side table top, and the cups beside it, she walked away, but stopped short. There stood in front of her was Dracula.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, I was not aware of your presence." Ava bowed her head down low. Dracula looked down at Ava, appreciating the respect she was showing for him and his wife. "You may go, but do not make it a habit of being late again, do I make myself clear." Ava nodded her head, "Yes sir."

Hurrying past the both of them she closed the door behind her. She rushed back to her room to lie down and finally rest. She had still been skittish around him. Now she was grateful of Kelly's demand of rest for her. Lying down on her lumpy bed, she closed her eyes and began to dream again.


	4. Stories and Despair

"How hard is it for you to understand not to make mistakes and do things right you little twit!" The sound of Dracula's voice echoed throughout the castle while all the servants stood in their places listening to every word he was screaming at the young girl. Ava sat in the kitchen listening carefully to the horrible words being thrown at Kelly across the hall.

'It had only been a glass of blood and nothing more.' Ava thought frightfully of what happened just a few moments ago. Suddenly the yelling stopped and Kelly burst into the room, tears streaming down her pale face. Her hands covered her eyes, obviously hiding from everyone who watched in the hall. A beastly roar came from a distance and then the voice echoed again, "Get back to work!"

Kelly sat in the corner of the kitchen, her head on her knees. Ava walked towards her. "Kelly, are you ok?" More sobs came from the frail body. Finally raising her head up a large black mark covered her eye swelling into a mass. "Dear God." whispered Ava.

Quickly she bent down cradling Kelly in her arms. Tears began to storm down her face, but she didn't allow herself to make any noise, thinking it would upset Kelly. "I...I only dropped it ...by...by...accident...and then...he...he...got mad at me and told me I ...ruined the...Persian...rug." Kelly told Ava of what happened. All Ava heard from the before from another slave was that she dropped a bottle of the finest blood in Romania and that the Count was angry with her.

"Then...he...he...told me that I was f...f...fired. And...that….I'm...I'm leaving tonight." Ava's eyes widened. She was her only friend and living in this damp castle would be worse than hell. Kelly struggled to talk through her tears. Ava hugged her harder. "Everything is going to be alright." Kelly shook her head in Ava's arms. "No...its...not. I have nowhere to go. I have no money. I have no one." She whispered.

"You mustn't worry, we will find a way. I have a friend who I'm sure would help you. I will find money for you, but you have to trust me." Kelly nodded in agreement. She was frightened to the core. Ava had no idea how she was going to get money, but she would have to figure out a way.

(Transition)

Soon nightfall had come and Kelly stood at the door with her small bag packed with the little things she had. Ava handed her a leather bag full of food and a piece of parchment with information on it. Also in the bag was gold jewelry and expensive silverware. "Take this and sell the silver and gold for no less than 500. My friend Mello will take you in. The address is on the paper, as well as a map of the town. This should be enough for food and enough travel money to get you to Buconiva where he is."

Kelly shook her head. "No if the Count found out you took these from him he'll kill the both of us."

"I don't think he will miss these things. I found them in one of the storage rooms. They were covered in dust when I got to them." Ava said with a smile on her face, trying to reassure Kelly.

"Thank you." Kelly whispered and she slipped out of the door and into the darkness. Ava closed the door as quietly as she could, but a voice echoed in the grand entrance. "You there, what are you doing?"

"Only saying goodbye Sir." Ava said as she was turning around.

Dracula walked closer towards Ava. Her red hair shone through the moon. Placing two fingers under her chin he lifted her head so she was forced to look at him. Her eyes were a remarkable green. Dracula stared through them, trying to see past her lies. He tried to read her mind, but was too mesmerized by her beauty.

"You look familiar." He said suddenly. Ava didn't say anything to him, hoping he wouldn't remember. He continued to stare at her, but once the moon shined on one side of her face, he realized who she was.

"Ah yes, I remember now. You were the young one who I saw in the forest just a few weeks ago." Ava continued to do nothing. She didn't give the slightest attention to him nor his comment. "Yes if I remember correctly, you were with a young man that night." Ava continued not to say anything. "Do I not deserve your attention?" He asked. "I'm sorry sir." Thinking of him sent poison to her blood making her feel every bit of hate towards him. She couldn't believe how he treated Kelly as if she was disposable. Dracula chuckled.

"What is your name?" He asked seductively. "Ava Brassova." She replied. "No relations to Alexander Brassova I assume?" he asked. Ava was unsure of how to answer. "I wouldn't know sir; I grew up in an orphanage." There was a long silence. Ava saw him looking into the distance, wondering what he was thinking.

"You'll be my personal servant starting tomorrow. You will work for me in the evenings when I am up." She looked dead into his eyes, not wanting to give him any emotion, but her heart raced with fear. "Don't fret child, I'll take good care of you." he said grimly towards her, gently putting his hand down from her face, he walked away with a smile on his face, listening to the rhythmic thumping of her heart slowing down.

(Transition)

Ava continued her usual chores but still she tried to ignore Dracula and avoid him to the highest extent. Ava was now sitting in his room, on the broken wooden stool, slowly biting down on the sewing string to his black cotton shirt. She had been sitting on the stool, sewing holes and tears in his clothing for hours now, only by a dim candlelight in the kitchen.

It was some of the finest shirt she had seen. It was the first piece of royalty held delicately in her hands. Dracula was absent from the room, leaving her to mend to his pile of clothing left on the floor for her. Carefully she had placed the needle in a small part of the hem of the shirt, then slowly pulled up and around starting all over again.

Her fingers ached from holding the needle and threading it through the clothing. She had only gotten through a small pile of folded clothing, but the amount of perfection that the Count looked for was keeping her from moving any faster. She had another pile of clothing at her feet needing to be done by morning. "Ah hem."

"I see my clothing is not yet done?" Dracula asked from the doorway. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Ava nodded to him. "Yes, and I hope you are aware of my bride's clothing as well?" Dracula asked again. Ava's eyes widened in frustration. Never had she sewn in her life like this, but having to do more seemed nearly impossible. But through the doubtful thoughts Ava nodded her head again agreeing to him, knowing it was a lie.

"I expect these articles of clothing to be done by sunrise and I expect nothing less than perfection." He said, repeating what she was thinking only moments ago. She nodded and looked down at the clothing with nothing to say to him. Her only thoughts were of how much she hated him. He left in the bitter silence.

The door opened from behind. In came Melissa one of the newer girls. She had just started and was spending hours cleaning into the night, just as Ava had done when she had gotten there. She had a large pile of dresses in her arms. "Aleera gave me these when I was cleaning." The gowns were gorgeous, but Ava knew that it was just another pain task for her fingers to do for hours on end.

Ava let out a small sigh. Getting up she walked towards Melissa and took a good majority of the pile with ease as the young girl also breathed a sigh of relief from the heavy load. "Thanks." Melissa said, now seeming out of breath, "I thought I could never get them up those stairs." Ava turned and smiled to her, "I know my first week here seemed to be like hell." They both laughed for a moment and then it suddenly got quiet again.

"I am always afraid something is going to come out of the dark shadows around here." Melissa said calmly. "There's really nothing to worry about. All you need to know is that you must stay clear of the Count." Ava replied.

"But what about the stories I hear about you?" Melissa was now looking at her with a curious look on her face.

"What stories?" Ava said innocently.

"Well you know." Melissa paused, now understanding that Ava had not heard the rumors some girls had said. "They say that the Count fancies you. They also say that you're his personal servant." Pausing for another moment she finished her sentence. "His personal servant who will do anything for him."

Ava stood there her mouth partly opened, then it suddenly became pursed with frustration. Turning her back to Melissa, she breathed for a moment before replying, trying to be as calm and rational as possible. "I am no more than a personal servant to him as they are to the castle's needs."

Her temper now beginning to rise. "And the nerve they have for talking like that about me!" She turned around, facing Melissa. She couldn't believe she had been working for the Count for only a couple of weeks and rumors had already started.

"I mean some of the girls down there would love to have the chance to jump in bed with him, flirting and clawing at his every need, while he brings me here to do his shit for him!" Melissa had a frightful look on her face, but as well as a face of regret for telling her what was being said about her. "I would love to see them sleep with him and count how many days they live after that." Ava said letting out her frustration.

Melissa gave her a questioning look. "What? You didn't hear about those rumors?" Ava said nearly screamed at her. Melissa shook her head. "Yeah, well I guess they don't bother to tell that if you sleep with the bastard, you die next to him as well. Just to keep hush, he kills his sluts one at a time, in the most mysterious ways, just so his precious wife won't know because some idiotic girl runs her mouth too..." Melissa and Ava suddenly turned around as she made her sentence come to a definite halt.

"Oh my God." Ava whispered. Dracula stood in the doorway listening to god only knew how much of the conversation. Dracula walked over to her staring her straight at her eyes. His icy blue eyes glowed against the candle light. Fear leapt out of her chest, knowing he had heard enough from her.

"I assume the chore I ask of you is not done?" He asked, looking over to Melissa. Raising his hand high in the air, he looked back at Ava. Ava squinted her eyes shut, trying to mentally prepare for the upcoming pain she was expecting. But instead of the heavy slap, he snapped his fingers and pointed to the door. Ava opened her eyes surprised at what he had just done, but was easily confused as well. "You girl!" He stared at Ava, not bothering to look up at Melissa. Melissa ran forward towards him, "Yes sir." She pleaded. "Leave us be," He said. "I need to teach those who do not respect their masters the punishment they will receive.


	5. Humble Attitude To Kill

Ava watched as Melissa scampered away as if she couldn't wait to leave the room. Though she knew the feeling because if she had that opportunity now she would bolt out of the castle entirely. Ava looked at the fine shirt in her hand, not knowing what to expect from such an unpredictable creature. She could feel his piercing eyes on her, as if he was trying to look into her soul. It felt intrusive, and she tried to shut off her mind and emotions so he could no play into them. It was a long awkward silence, Ava sat there not knowing how to react to something with no reaction. The Count looked at her red hair glisten in the light of the candles.

"Do tell me my dear, what do you think of my humble palace?" Dracula asked in what seemed like a condescending way. Clearing her throat she replied softly "Reminds me of a swine's palace" Daring to look up at him she glared at him with intensity. He seemed unfazed by her comment. It didn't strike a chord, it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

"Well I hope that this "swine's palace" is at least better than most." He replied with a chuckle. Walking over to the high back chair next to her he sat down with an arrogance crossed one leg over the other and looked at her as if he was studying her. He grinned at her. It was a grin that you couldn't laugh off, if was a grin that only meant trouble. And coming from the Count himself, she could only imagine what was going through his head. Trying to act as though him rudely staring at her wasn't the least bit affecting her, she continue to sew yet another hole in his shirt. Annoyed she suddenly thought to herself, "Dear God, how does he ruin all his clothes like this, he lives like swine as well…."

Without missing a beat, Dracula laughed and said "My dear, you have no idea what my day involves. It's quite rough trying to torture a human like yourself, a lot of sacrifices. Unfortunately my clothing gets the worst of it." He sat in the armchair leaning his head on his hand while rubbing his temple as if he was stressful to talk to Ava. Ava raised an eyebrow, gave him a side glance and continued to sew. Her fingers seemed to lose feeling.

"You my dear seem to have quite the attitude."

"You didn't think that buying a girl from an orphanage you would get someone easy. I come with a territory."

Dracula cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly he stopped rubbing his temple. Leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I like a fire beneath a girl's soul, it makes the games a lot more interesting….." His cold breath hovered on her skin.

"I am a master at games….I always win." She said looking directly into his souless eyes. He could feel her hot breath on his face they were so close. It was intoxicating. She has such a fire in her soul he could only imagine the trouble she would give him. It was different from him. Most people, even grown men seemed to hid from him at any chance possible, but this girl was staring directly at him stepping up to him and challenging. Not even Aleera did that. Taken aback he grinned and ran his fingers in her wavy hair. It was like silk, so soft and beautiful.

Ava acted as though she wasn't fazed. She couldn't react the way she would have liked to. This suddenly turned into a game and she couldn't go back on her promise, she had to win. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Not the slightest." She replied with a grin. A chuckle slipped from his lips.

"You have a soul of a gypsy my dear. What is your heritage?" He said as he started to pour himself a glass of warmed blood.

"I don't have a family, and I don't have a past." Dracula leaned back in his chair and slowly sipped his blood savoring the mediocre taste of bottled blood. He was trying to figure her out. He couldn't understand why there seemed to be a connection between them both. It was troubling to him knowing he was allowing her to speak to him like this. Most people would have had their necks snapped in half if they said two words to him that he disapproved of. But with her it was different. It was a challenge to him. All he wanted to do was tease her and make her feel uncomfortable in her own skin. Like a cat playing with a mouse.

Another awkward silence ensued. The Count finished his glass of blood. Setting it on the table he leaned forward again and touched her cheek. She tried to ignore him and focus on the task of sewing the god forsaken holes. Slowly he turned her head so she would look at him. At first she was reluctant, but their eyes eventually locked. Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear "Have a pleasant night my dear." She suddenly felt one of his fangs drag across her earlobe. She shuddered as it sent chills up her spine. Before she knew it, he was up and leaving, slowly closing the door behind him.


	6. Nightmares

"RUN!" A woman screamed at the young redhead child. She ran across an elegant ballroom squeezing her way through the panic of people who were running in all directions trying to avoid the inevitable. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, her blood pulsing through her veins. Fear and panic of the unknown consumed the child. She didn't have the slightest idea of what was happening. All she knew was that a gorgeous woman with fire red hair and piercing green eyes was pushing her away from the immediate danger. The little girl looked back as she ran giving a last glimpse at the woman looking directly at her from across the room as if she was trying to say goodbye to the child.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion, reality wasn't setting it, as if she was living a dream. The young girl hid herself behind one of the long curtains hanging from one of the 15 foot tall windows. She was small enough to go almost completely unnoticed. Suddenly all of the glass windows shattered, making an incredibly loud noise that seemed to come out of a horror novel. Her heart ached from beating so hard, she was out of breath, but all she could do was stand behind the curtain and blend in so she could save herself. The sudden loud noise of the glass shattering had the other people screaming in panic. She couldn't bear to look from behind the curtain. The cold winter wind blew across the ballroom making the even seem more eerie than before. She closed her eyes and tried to think of happy thoughts hoping it would make it easier to hide and not burst into tears out of fear.

Quiet. That's all she could hear. An unsettling quiet lurked in the ballroom. The screaming had stopped, the cold wind had disappeared, and the feeling of panic in the room had been removed. The child opened her eyes slowly, one eye at a time and worked up the courage to peer her head from behind the curtain. Gasping by the sight she could only stare in disbelief. The hundreds of people who were once previously dancing happily to the orchestra were all on the ground, completely motionless. Blood was starting to pool from all the bodies. The glass from the windows were glittering in the candle light. She slowly looked up the front of the ballroom where she and the woman who told her to run sat and enjoyed their night. All she could see was a dark figure of a man kneeling down looking at something. He seemed to stay there forever just staring at something on the ground. Slowly he bent down and kissed whatever was on the ground and slowly got up. That something was a body lying motionless on the carpeted floor. The child soon began to realize who that person was. It was the red headed woman. She couldn't control herself, she ran out from behind the curtain and screamed in tears, "Mamma!" The dark figure stopped suddenly and looked at the little girl run over towards him. As small as she was, she ran full force towards her mother, shoving him out of the way.

The little girl dropped to her knees crying over the woman. Tears poured down her face and she put her head on her mother's chest hoping she could hear her take a breath. Without a reaction from her mother, she shook her relentlessly trying to wake up her sleeping mother. "Mamma please wake up! Mamma!" Slowly the little girl was realizing that she wasn't going to wake up as she had begged. The dark figure continued to stand there watching the little girl cry over her mother's death. She was the spitting image of her mother. But to see her distraught was tearing him apart. He hadn't felt emotions like this for centuries. Not only did he lose the woman he once loved, but he watched the only living part of her break down. He had seen many deaths before, most of them by his own hand, but this was the one time he could say he wasn't the one who had caused it. But he should have been the one to save her. It was too late. Nothing could be done now. The little girl didn't notice him leaving. She never saw his face or heard his voice. She had no way of knowing who this strange man was.

"Ava…..Ava…..wake up Ava." Said a voice from a distance. Slowly Ava began to wake up from the terrible nightmare. It was a recurring one, and it was one that had relived itself almost every night since her arrival at the castle. Melissa stood at her bedside, a candle in one hand and her other on her shoulder shaking her slightly trying to rouse her from her sleep.

"Ava we need to get started on chores. You overslept. The sun is down already." Melissa slowly got up and walked away and shut the door quietly behind her. Ava was still in the state of shock from her dream. Every time she relived the nightmare it seemed to take an extreme physical toll on her as if it had happened to her just now.

Trying to wake up, Ava got herself up and dressed and slowly lingered into the foyer where all the girls were lined up already. The Count was standing there, hands gracefully behind his back pacing back and forth giving his usual lecture as to what was expected from them that day.

Ava tried to sneak over to the line of girls without any notice. It seemed to have worked.

"I fully expect you young girls to work your damndest to prepare my castle for the upcoming arrival of our guests tomorrow night. And to ensure you ladies understand what I want of you, I expect you to arrive here when you are told to….." Dracula had stopped in front of Ava staring at her with a cocked eyebrow. The line of girls suddenly focused on Ava. She seemed to have the whole world staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I overslept" She replied to the Count while looking off into the hallway besides him, trying not to give eye contact. All she could think of she was too tired to deal with any arguing or bickering from anyone, including the Count.

"Ahhhh, you overslept my dear? Well since you seem to have caught up with your sleep this evening, you will be doing double the chores and being my personal assistant throughout the night. I have a lot to prepare for."

Ava didn't respond. She didn't have it in her to argue the unfairness of his demands.

"As I was saying, I expect this castle to be the finest in all of Transylvania. These guests are important to me and to have them feel their living quarters are insufficient will not be tolerated."

A long silence hovered in the room.

"Now off to doing chores."

Ava began to walk away, but felt an icy hand on her shoulder pull her back. Ava hesitated in turning around not in fear, but the simple fact she couldn't imagine the insanity he was about to make her do.

"You are coming with me."

Ava followed Dracula to his living quarters. She had yet to be in his room and it wasn't any different than she expected. The room was dark except for the moonlight shining through the windows and the few dim candles in every other corner. The candles seemed to cast more shadows than light. With a snap of his fingers, the candles burst with a large flame and slowly dimmed to a lesser flame. Now she could see everything in it. It was elegant and covered with gold and antiques. Not a speck of dust was in sight. It was immaculately clean. His room was rather large. It had a stone coffin sitting off on one side of the room, big enough to fit 3 or 4 people. The windows had massive black curtains hanging from them, with tapestries and pieces of art hanging all around the room. In the corner was a fireplace spewing warmth throughout the icy room.

The door suddenly shut, and Ava turned around to only find Dracula standing right behind her. She bumped into his chest and he smiled at her with an evil grin.

"What do you want me to get started on?" She asked showing no emotion, nothing to hint at the fact she felt awkward standing in his room.

"You can start with washing the windows." He tossed a rag to the floor in front of her. "The bucket of water is behind you."

Sighing an annoyed sigh she bent down while glaring at him, picked up the rag and walked over to the window and began washing it. It was deadly quiet in the room. She couldn't tell where he was unless she looked behind her. It was as if he had the ability to completely disappear in a room but still be in your presence.

Ava looked behind her and she could see the Count sitting at his red oak desk writing on parchment with his quill. He seemed really focused on what he was writing. But what was most surprising was that he was wearing glasses while writing.

"I didn't know the walking dead needed glasses" Ava said sarcastically.

"Unfortunately even though I may be prince of the underworld, I am not given pristine physical attributes for being immortal. This is one of the few things I am not perfect in." He said without looking up and continuing to write.

Ava smiled at his cunning response. He finished writing and took off his glasses and leaned back in his high backed chair. He rubbed his eyes as if he were stressed. "Nonsense" He muttered to himself.

Ava paused for a second. This was probably the most human she had ever seen him in the entire time she had worked for him. "Being hunted everyday is finally getting to you?" She said looking over at him smiling.

He turned his head and looked at her with a grin that could kill. He chuckled at her remark. She was incredibly bold for talking to him this way. It was amusing more than anything, and he could appreciate the young girl's humor. Everyone else in the world seemed to have lacked a sense of personality, but not her. She was a spit fire. She reminded him of someone in his past. Someone he had once loved dearly.

Ava finished the window, or at least what she could reach. She dropped the rag on the floor and walked over to him. "I'm finished."

"You missed a spot," and looked up at the high part of the window. Ava looked at it knowing she still had about half the window left but looked back over at him.

"You know damn well I am not an amazon. I cannot reach that high."

Dracula chuckled at her. He got up from his chair and sat on his desk, trying to get to eye level with her. His blue eyes glistened in the fire light. "You look troubled my dear. As if you haven't slept in ages." He said softly, looking directly into her soul intently. Startled by his comment, she quickly brushed it off and replied, "Sleeping in a cold dark dungeon isn't exactly the best place for beauty rest."

"So I take it that those nightmares you have every night are the least of your problems?"

"And how would you know I have nightmares?" She replied.

"Your erratic heartbeat keeps me up throughout my own sleep. It's like a stampede of horses. I just figured as much." He said, studying her reaction to his own reply.

"They are nothing, I have had nightmares like that most of my life, it just seems to be recurring more often than not now a day."

The Count looked down at his hands and smiled as if he knew something she didn't. "Do you ever assume that there may be a reason as to why you have these nightmares? Maybe your conscience is telling you something of your future."

"Well, if it was my conscience telling me something, most likely its telling me I am going to die a horrible death." Ava replied turning around and picking up the rag off the floor and continuing to wash the already clean windows. It had suddenly turned into an awkward conversation between them.

"Well my dear, I can assure you, you will not die anytime soon. You are far too good of a servant girl to just die." He said cunningly. Ava turned around and looked at him. They were looking at one another, trying to look into the others souls. Ava hesitated to reply, but began to speak. "Count do you….."

"DRACULA!" The scream came from a horrible woman. That shriek was well known throughout the castle. All the girls had thought the mistress was gone for good as she had mysteriously disappeared on a "vampire get together" somewhere out in the midst of Europe. She hadn't been around in weeks, yet as soon as the door to Dracula's room burst open, Aleera stood there with the look of hate and lust in her eyes.


	7. Happy Hauntings

"Dracula my darling!" Aleera cooed with her voice. She sauntered over towards him as if she were throwing herself at his very feet. Dracula rolled his eyes and sighed, looking at Ava and then at Aleera. Aleera immediately noticed and didn't take kindly to it.

"You there! Fetch my bags from the foyer!" Aleera demanded at Ava. She looked at her with immense hate. Ava immediately ran out of the room, hoping that Aleera didn't think of anything between The Count and her. There was nothing between them two, but certainly the rumors about their supposive romance wasn't helping, and was only enraging Aleera's jealously even more.

Dracula watched Ava run out the room. Poor girl seemed more terrified of his mistress than of him, for good reason though. Aleera was a feisty mistress who was overly protective of their relationship. Any girl that possibly stood in the way faced immediate danger, Aleera's rage couldn't be predicted.

"Honey, you've been gone forever. I thought you would have left my withering soul for another more handsome prince." He replied with a sensual touch to his voice. Aleera purred in delight.

"I decided that after that disaster of a ball in Budapest, I would travel around a bit and create a new wardrobe. And also go hunting for the most perfect fresh meat I could find." Dracula raised an eyebrow, interested in her last sentence. "And by fresh meat you mean what exactly." Dracula said crossing his arms.

"Let me bring him in." With two snaps of her fingers, a young man walked in the door. He was tall and handsome, just the kind of "meat" Aleera would like. Even though he was a stunning male specimen, he looked ragged and tired as if he had been running for weeks on little food and water. Dark bags hung below his eyes, his hair disheveled and dirt stained clothes barely held onto his body. He was bony and had little meat to his bones. Aleera dragged him over to The Count and asked, "Darling, take a bite. He tastes like a strawberry, so sweet and delightful." She said grabbing his wrist and holding it up to Dracula's.

Dracula snarled with the fact that not only had she brought him leftovers, but that she had kept him alive to the point where he no longer looked appetizing. Turning his head, showing Aleera he had no interest he walked over to his armchair by the fireplace and sat down, legs crossed and chin resting gently on his fingers.

"My dear, where on Earth did you find this poor boy?" He asked

"I found him on the streets of Paris. He was stumbling across the road from a bar. I took him in to make him my pet." She looked at him and licked her teeth ever so slightly as if she was just hungry thinking of him.

"Why have you kept him for so long? You should put him out of his misery." Dracula spoke softly. He was looking at the young blood. He seemed familiar, all too familiar. Shaking off whatever question he had about the man, he stood up and got to eye level with him. The man looked off into the distance as if reality wasn't reality.

"Do tell me your name." Dracula said. The man made no response. He didn't even seem coherent. Aleera has probably not been taking the best care of her "pet". Obviously his blood practically ran dry and he had little food or water. Neither of those two together made for a long living pet.

"I will repeat again. Tell me your name." Dracula said with a stern voice as he turned his head towards him. The young man looked lost. Dracula cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you plan to do with him my dear?" Dracula asked. He was annoyed at this point.

"I figured we could use him for chores, fatten him up and drink from him when we please. That way I won't have to drink out of those retched bottles of blood again." Aleera looked at him with puppy dog eyes, hoping to get approval from her beloved.

"You've already shown how good you can take care of a human. He's practically dead!" Dracula was beyond annoyed, he had moved on to being angry.

"But darling! Please let me have him! I want to play games with my new pet." Aleera pleaded to The Count.

"You may have him for one week. That is it, if you don't finish him off, I will." Dracula said with a snarl. Aleera giggled and ran up to hug The Count. Dracula didn't return the favor. He stood there allowing her to hug him until she was finished. Aleera wasn't pleased. She sulked out of the room, but snapped her fingers to beckon the young man to follow her.

(Transition)

"Oh Pet. Come rub my shoulders." Aleera snapped her fingers. She and the mysterious young man were in the lounge room. It was cold and the candles dim. Aleera laid across a love seat sofa waiting for her personal servant to cater to her needs. The man walked over and hesitated rubbing her shoulders. She could sense his fear. Slowly he worked himself to touch her icy cold skin. He stood there rubbing her shoulders as she looked at her nails thinking of all the new things she could do with him. She smiled in delight that she seemed to be winning this cat and mouse game she had ensued.

A knock came at the door. A young girls voice echoed through the door crack. "You're dinner is served." Aleera replied, "Come in my darling!" The young girl was Ava. She looked down trying to avoid eye contact. She hadn't even noticed the handsome man standing in front of her. The man suddenly stopped rubbing Aleera's shoulders. His jaw dropped in surprise. This was the first time since arriving at the castle that he appeared to be in reality.

"Ava…" He whispered loud enough for her to hear. Ava's head shot up. She knew that voice anywhere. "Mello!" She was shocked and in disbelief of who was standing before her. She never thought she would seem him again, let alone see him the way he looked now. He looked gravely ill and was ghostly white. With the bottle of blood in one hand, the other hand went over her mouth as she gasped. She couldn't believe the sight she was seeing. Aleera noticed their immediate interaction with one another. Raising an eyebrow, she was beginning to understand that there was more between them than just a simple friendship. There was more to it.

"I see that I don't need to introduce you two." She said. "I don't need that vile bottle tonight. I have my own feast." It took Ava a second to figure out what she meant. A horrified look came across her face.

"Darling, put your arm out." Mello knew what that meant. He hated every time she asked him to do this. Slowly he put out his arm. Aleera stared at Ava as she rolled up his sleeve. Her face was worth remembering. Ava's eyes grew as Aleera began to unveil the numerous bite marks and bruises throughout his wrist. Bringing his arm to her mouth, she licked his skin seductively, toying with the young girl. Suddenly she bit. He winced in pain, but continued to look at Ava. He looked helpless. Blood dripped down the corners of Aleera's mouth as she sucked his blood. Ava couldn't bear to witness this. She ran out the room, dropping the bottle of blood, but went head first into a hard body.

Dracula stood there. Her arms on his chest as she had tried to block herself from her running into him. Panic and fear was written all across her face. Dracula looked at the girl, and then at Aleera and the boy. He realized where he had recognized him from. He was the boy in the woods the night he saw Ava from the night sky. He was the one that shielded her from him. A single tear ran down her face. He had never seen her react this way. This boy meant something to her, and Aleera knew it as well. Aleera smiled as she released her grasp from the boys arm.

"Darling, are you joining me for dinner?" She licked the blood off her lips. Dracula glared at Aleera. He looked down at Ava and they made a momentary glimpse at one another. Ava quickly moved around him and ran out the door. "That's enough Aleera." He said sternly. The boy looked even paler and looked as though he were to collapse at any moment. Aleera's cheeky grin suddenly turned into an emotionless face. "Melissa!" He yelled. His yelling echoed throughout the entire castle. Within moments the frightened girl ran over to his side.

"Yes Master."

"Take this boy to an empty room. Allow him to heal, feed him and bathe him. Make sure he sleeps plenty." He said while glaring at Aleera. Aleera looked horribly upset. He was taking away her toy, as if she were a child again.

Melissa went over to the fragile man and grabbed his better arm and slowly walked him out the room. The door slammed shut with immense force. Dracula was beyond livid. He walked over to Aleera and stood over her. "How dare you come back into my home after leaving me for ages and bring home a human being to be your pet! It is one thing if you feed the god damn thing, but it's another to neglect it and leave me to clean up after you!" Aleera cowered in the love seat.

"But darling, he is only a human…." Aleera pleaded, trying to make the situation better. Her hands went up to his jacket, trying to sooth and calm him. He smacked her hands away and showed his fangs. He then quickly grabbed her by the neck and held her up almost 3 feet off the ground.

"You will not disrupt my castle! Do you understand me?" He screamed at her. He was choking her and he knew it. He pinched his thumb and first finger so hard into her neck she slowly began to bleed. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" He bellowed again. She tried desperately to speak and nodded her head. He threw her against the wall. He threw her so hard the room rumbled and a dust cloud hovered around her. Dracula walked over to the window and stared out into the crescent moon. It was a clear beautiful night sky yet he was filled with anger and rage. He couldn't understand why he protected this girl so much. He never felt feelings this strong unless he was in battle. Never before over a girl.

Aleera mumbled in the pile of rubble. "I didn't hear you." He spoke softly yet firmly, trying to keep his cool. "I said you have feelings for that little twit!" Dracula shot his head in her direction. It infuriated him for her to even say that. She was in a pathetic state. Her hair was disheveled and blood coming from her neck. She had dust and dirt all over her once pink and white dress.

"I do not have feelings for that human." He replied.

"Then why do you defend her? Why do you prefer her presence over mine?" She cried.

"Because Aleera, she isn't a sniffling little girl like you. And if I EVER hear you speak of this assumption that I may have feelings for her, you my dear will surely see the daylight at my hand personally." He said harshly. They stared at one another for a few moments before he stormed out the room, ripping the large wooden doors off the hinges. Aleera still stood in the crumbled mess in shock that her own lover had threatened her life over this girl.

(Transition)

Melissa had managed to get the young man up the stairs and into an empty servant's quarters. He collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. Just the short walk had taken all the energy he had out of him. Melissa took off his tattered shoes and gave him an extra pillow to elevate his head more. Running off to a bathroom, she grabbed a bowl full of water and a rag. It was ice cold as she soaked the rag in the water. Slowly she dabbed his forehead. It was sweaty yet cold. His eyes closed shut trying to rest. The cold rag felt wonderful on him. Slowly she lifted his shirt sleeves and wiped the dirt free from his skin. She couldn't believe how many times he had been bitten. There were at least a dozen different bite marks on each arm. Slowly she unbuttoned his shirt to expose his lean yet chiseled chest.

After cleaning him until no visible dirt marks were seen, she ran off to the kitchen to fetch for food. Out of breath by the time she made it, she came to a sudden halt when she saw Ava sobbing at the kitchen table. She stood there not knowing whether speaking to her or not would help her. Finally she mustered up the words,

"He's ok, he is resting in one of the servant's quarters." Ava looked up. She couldn't believe that he was ok. She thought Aleera would have killed him by now. "I'm getting him some food, if you want to bring it to him." She said smiling, trying to cheer her up. Ava nodded and took the bread and fruit from Melissa. She slowly walked over to the quarters, not knowing what to expect. She didn't know if she could handle seeing him in such a fragile state. He was her rock, and seeing him broken made life feel unbearable.

Ava opened the door slowly, and saw Mello lying motionless on the bed with shallow breathing. Ava took a deep breath and walked over to him. She moved his strand of hair in his face away and smiled. It was good to see him, but not in this way. She leaned down to kiss his forehead. Suddenly she felt his hand on her cheek. Pulling back she looked deeply into his eyes. They both smiled at one another.

"I brought you food." She whispered.

"Good, because I'm starving." They both chuckled a bit. She grabbed the bread and put some up to his lips. He gladly took it. He savored the taste of real food. He couldn't remember the last time he ate.

"What happened to you Mello? I thought you were going to travel and rescue me from this hell hole." Ava asked with a smile.

"Life is what happened. I gambled away all my money and now am in debt with folks back home. I train hopped across Europe for a bit getting odd jobs, but things just happened." He looked down at his hands, ashamed of the way his life turned out.

"How did you get involved with Aleera?"

"Ahh see I was walking outside a bar and I saw this woman standing in the alley. She looked like she wanted me, and I was lonely. So she and I, well you know….." He stopped shortly, now embarrassed. Ava raised an eyebrow showing she wanted to know more. "And she bit me and I thought I was going to die. But she kept me alive, said I was the best she had ever tasted. So she would feed off of me whenever she felt like it. I wanted to run, but I was too weak to do anything."

Ava nodded her head. She couldn't believe Mello's luck. He was always the one that got out of trouble every single time, he was always on his toes.

"Whatever happened to Kelly?" Ava asked

"Kelly came to me, had some leftover jewels you had given her. She gave me them as repayment and she lived with me for a little bit. I left after a month, all I know is that she had a job at the bakery and was doing ok. She was making her own money." Ava smiled, thanking god that her friend made it out ok.

"What have you been doing in this place?" He asked.

"Oh you know, slaving away and going nowhere in life." She said sarcastically.

"And the Count?" He questioned. "There is nothing with the Count, he has a temper and apparently rumors are the Count and I have a thing, but it's all talk between girls who prey upon others."

They laughed together. It was like old times, gossiping with one another and ridiculing life and its problems.

"Well I am going to leave you to rest. I will see you tomorrow." Ava said softly. She kissed his head and walked away. He watched her walk away, smiling he closed his eyes thinking of how incredibly lucky he was that night.


	8. Looks Can Kill

Ava awoke peacefully to the sun beginning to set. It was the perfect time; the sky was covered in purple clouds with an assortment of red orange and yellow hues. She stared off into the distance enjoying this blissful moment. It was the first time she felt completely at peace with the world and everything in it for ages. Finally the sun had set and the night stars were beginning to come out. Ava slowly got ready for her upcoming day of grueling chores and the arrival of their mysterious guest.

Walking down the endless corridor of the castle she and the other girls met in the foyer, and this time she wasn't late. Dracula stood off in the corner arms crossed staring intently at the large oak entrance doors as if he were expecting the guest at any moment. But before Ava could finish her thought, a slow knock came from the doors. The same butler that greeted Ava upon her arrival greeted the guest that stood behind it.

"Welcome Sire." The old butler said bowing down in respect. In came a man with long blond hair tied in a low ponytail with a elegant silk black ribbon. He was medium build, not skinny and frail, but rather lean and muscular. His skin was ghostly white just as Dracula's and Aleera's. He wore an old navy blue French styled military jacket with a black walking stick with a large diamond at the top. Gracefully he walked in the door grinning at the butler. Dracula stood there watching his friend place the walking stick beneath his arm and slowly pull off his leather gloves finger by finger.

"Thank you kind Sir." He spoke to the butler as he handed him his walking stick and gloves. He walked casually over to Dracula arms open, sarcastically saying "You my friend far too much time on your hands. This castle looks immaculate." He said laughing at his own joke. Dracula chuckled and replied with a cocky grin, "I have an abundance of servants to slave away." The row of 10 girls including Ava stood before them both. The strange man looked at all of them, dragging his eyes up and down on each girl. Dracula could sense his desire for a woman.

"Ladies, this is my dear friend Sir Jean Monsuire. You will be attending to his every need during his stay in my castle. Do I make myself clear?" The girls nodded their heads in agreement. Jean leaned closer to Dracula and whispered something to him. Dracula smiled and replied "Later Jean, later. We have business to attend to first." Dracula began to walk away from the girls but motioned Ava to follow him and Jean. Jean smirked at her as she walked past him. She didn't know how she felt about him still, she couldn't tell who she trusted more, Dracula or Jean. She could feel his soulless eyes on her back staring her down. They walked into the lounge area where Aleera and Mello were at the night before. She began to think of him. He was probably still asleep. She had decided in her mind to sneak away at some point and see him for only a moment or two.

Not to Ava's surprise, Aleera was in the lounge room on the love seat reading a book. Ava couldn't imagine what book she was reading, she didn't seem to have enough brains herself to function, but she still gave credit to the fact that she was reading something. Aleera noticed the guest and a massive smile wiped away her once emotionless face. "Darling! How good it is to see you." She got up and held out her hand. Jean grabbed it and sweetly kissed the top of her hand, while staring at Aleera. Aleera glowed at the fact at least there was one person in the room to show her recognition of her beauty. "Pleasure is all mine." He responded smiling. His eyes had an eerie red tint to them, showing the existence of evil in his soul in physical form.

"What brings you into these parts of the country?" She asked innocently.

"Dracula and I have business to attend to. Papers to sign, humans to hunt." He responded jokingly. Dracula looked over at Ava while he had the chance. She looked uncomfortable being in a room with 3 vampires, two of them at which openly expressed their lack of pity for those who were mortal. Ava could feel his eyes on her. She looked at him and he stared at her as if he were trying to read her mind. Slowly he took his eyes off her.

"Jean and I have things we must do my dear, leave us be." Aleera's grinning face suddenly turned into a look of disappointment. Aleera sulked off. Ava was left standing there in front of Jean and Dracula both. Jean sat down on the love seat and stared at Ava. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was beyond gorgeous, she was angelic. He patted the seat next to him, "Come here my sweet. Let me have a better look at you." Ava hesitated. She didn't know him, nor did she was to get up close to him. Sitting down next to him she looked off in the distance. She could feel his icy breath on her. He seemed to be smelling her, engulfing himself with her seductive scent. He brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Do tell me your name." Jean asked with a seductive smile. Ava cocked an eyebrow knowing he was just another vampire searching for a night cap. "Ava" she replied coolly. "And tell me my dear, do you like being just a mere mortal?"

He was staring at her up and down, looking forward to the fact he would ensure that she was his personal servant. "Don't be shy my dear. I promise I won't bite." He said mockingly at Ava. Her insides shuttered in disgust at his cruel joke.

"Vlad, I have to say I am simply impressed with your selection of girls here. Especially this one. I take it she is your favorite?" He asked looking at Dracula. Dracula tried to force out any ideas his friend had about Ava. Ava was his, only his. "She does a decent job with chores." Dracula said not missing a beat.

"And how does she do outside of chores?" Jean asked sarcastically. Ava felt the tension in the room quickly become undeniable.

"She is my servant, not my whore." He said to him trying to remain calm with his friend. He should have expected Jean to be crazy over Ava, or any girl in general. He was one that didn't do well without the affection of a woman by the end of the night. Jean looked from Dracula and down to Ava. He ran his fingers through her hair. He could sense her blood pulsing through her veins. It only made her more appetizing to him.

"Ava leave us." Dracula commanded.

Ava willingly got up and walked briskly out the door. She didn't like Jean at all. She would rather be in the presence of the Count than that man.

"Vlad you tease me. How do you not expect me not to prey upon a beauty like that. I'm surprised you haven't my friend."

"Mind your manners Jean." The Count responded respectively putting him back in his place.

"Now I must ask, if you do not use her for your own personal use, can I make her into my bride. She would be the envy of all of France." Jean asked as if he were trying to propose a business arrangement.

Dracula couldn't believe what his friend was asking. "No Jean, you have plenty of brothels to choose from to find a new bride. You would just end up killing her like the rest of them when you're bored."

Jean chuckled at the truth that was coming out of Dracula's mouth. He did have a tendency to throw a bride away when they struck a nerve with him or if they were of no use anymore. "I can assure you my dear Count that she would be on my side for the rest of eternity. She is too gorgeous to throw back hell itself, you never know when you come across another like her."

(Transistion)

Ava had completed her full list of chores and then some by the time she had gone to lay down. She was tired and her arms sore from all the physical labor she had just endured. She only wanted to sleep and never wake up again. Slowly drifting off into a peaceful sleep she began to wake up. She felt eyes watching her. She couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was standing beside her watching her sleep. Ava slowly opened her eyes, she looked up. Nothing. Turning over on her side, she suddenly got a glimpse of a tall figure at the foot of her bed. Before she could scream, a hand roughly slammed against her mouth keeping her quiet. It was cold upon her lips and all she knew was that it was a hand of a vampire.

"Don't fret my child, I will take care of you." Whispered a familiar voice. Jean held her tightly, the back of her head against his chest as he kept her mouth shut. He breathed heavily on her neck. Biting her earlobe she tried to squirm out of his grip. He was much too strong for her. He got up, still with his hand on her mouth and sat next to her on her bed.

"What is a gorgeous girl like yourself doing within this cage?" Ava could only think of how she didn't want to be near him, let alone have him touch her. His free hand was caressing her thigh working his way up. Ava began to fight off as hard as she could. She managed to get his hand off her mouth and began to cry for help. "No one can hear you, it's nearly sunrise and everyone is asleep." He said mockingly. He grabbed both her wrists and placed them above her head pinning her down. He worked his body on top of her. She could feel the bulge from him loins press against her. He began to kiss and caress her neck and face, working down to her blouse. With his free hand, he ripped her corset off with ease, slowly undressing her as if he were unwrapping a present. Her breasts were perfect. He put his hand on her breast and began squeezing and caressing it. He forced his kisses upon her. She fought as hard as she could, yet his immortal strength was no match for hers. "I know you desire me….I want to make you my own." He said cooing in her ear.

"I will not be anyone's!" She managed to wiggle one wrist free out of his grasps punched him hard in the face. It stunned him that she not only did that, but she had a large amount of force behind that swing. "You little whore!" He snarled. She managed to get up and run out the door. She bolted down the corridor as fast as her legs would carry her. Running seemed hopeless. He was a vampire and nothing could outrun a vampire. Desperately she searched for a way out. Quickly she hid behind a corner. Her back pressed against the cold stone, she panted trying to regain her breath. This was the time she needed Mello to rescue her.

'_You cannot run, I will have you one way or another.'_

Wincing at the voice in her head she tried to ignore it. Minutes seemed to pass and that corner no longer seemed safe. Risking her hiding spot, she slowly walked into the hallway peering around, anticipating him at any moment. Suddenly a large hand gripped around her throat and she was forced into the wall 10 feet behind her. It knocked the wind out of her and her head ached. She could feel the warm liquid of her blood ooze down her hair and onto her neck. Jean was holding her against the wall, his temper obviously flared. He could smell the blood and it was intoxicating.

"I hate being so rough with such a delicate flower. Why don't you just soothe my inner beast and we can end this."

"I would rather die a horrible death than be in your arms." She spat back. Jean smiled in delight at her comment. It was only making it more fun on his behalf.

"You're a feisty one, and I like it" He said and he roughly began to pull up her dress. Ava struggled against him. Gasping for what little air she could get, his grip on her neck was getting tighter.

"JEAN!" beamed a voice. Jean immediately stopped and looked over to see Dracula standing in the hallway with the look of fury plastered across his face.

"Come on Vlad. It will be like the olden days. We can fight for who wins her as a bride" He said chuckling while looking at Ava, hungry for a taste of her blood.

"Put her down or I shall have to force you to." He said walking over to Jean. Dracula stood next to him glaring at him. Jean looked at Ava, then to Vlad, and back at Ava as if he were trying to decide if his threat was real or not. He released his grip and Ava dropped to the floor. Gasping for air she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"You will leave when the sun sets. Your business here is done." They stared at one another as if they were both decided whether to fight to the death was worth it or not. Dracula's blood boiled. Jean straightened his jacket and left as if he had done nothing wrong. Feeling pity for her, he picked her up in his arms and carried her off to one of the guest bedrooms, one with a large comfortable bed and fireplace rather than the small room with a hay bed she had been sleeping on. Ava fought him in his arms, wanting to get down. She had had enough with him and his friend, his bride, and the chores he forced her to do. She was fed up and wanted to bolt out the front door and never return. Managing to get her into the room, she fought her way out of his arms as he gave up on carrying her.

"Don't ever touch me again!" She screamed at him

"My dear I wasn't doing a lot of the touching if you would so kindly remember." He responded trying to ignore her backlash at him. Ava stood right up to him, barely making eye level with him as if she were stepping up to him. "I want to leave!" She yelled at him, trying to push him out of the way. He just blocked her every move. Soon she began to hit his chest in anger. Annoyed he grabbed her arms.

"Let go of me!" She screamed at him.

"Ava calm down dammit!" She still continued to fight with him. She was stronger than he had ever imagined. "You should have let him kill me!" She was furious. Why she was furious at him was a mystery. He shoved her back a few feet, but it didn't stop her much. She grabbed a vase off the end table of the bed and threw it at him. She kept finding things to throw at him, he simply dodged every item that came his way.

"I will not be your whore or anyone elses!" She screamed at him, continuing to throw anything and everything she could find at him. He dodged the items effortlessly but was soon getting fed up with her tantrum. He walked towards her as she ranted on.

"I hate you, I hate this castle, these chores and everything here. I want to leave now you sick unimaginable bastard!" By the time she had finished that sentence, Dracula fueled with rage at her comments. He had cornered her and he was just a mere few inches from her. She tried to push him out of the way and move around him, but he put both his arms on either side of the walls blocking her from leaving.

"Ava if you don't calm down this second I will…." He said before she interrupted. "Or you'll what. Bite me? Turn me into a bride, a whore. Whatever you damn well please Count, but let me rest assure you that I will be gone from this place one way or another so you might as well kill me and end mine and yours misery!"

Dracula stared down, deep into her soul. Their eyes were piercing one another. He temper was through the roof and she couldn't seem to calm down.

'_Ava calm down or I will have to force you to.'_

Ava heard the voice clear as day in her head. It was Dracula's voice. She knew he could do things like that, but she had never had it happen to her before. "Don't you dare tell me what to do!" She yelled back at him. She could feel the coldness of his body on her skin he was so close. He lifted his finger to move her hair, but she smacked it away. He growled, he couldn't believe her nerve. She pushed him hard against his chest but he didn't move. Instead he grabbed her wrists and held them to his chest. She continued to struggle, but he just smiled. She was just as gorgeous mad and angry as she was any other day. Slowly she began to tire and she calmed down.

"Are you quite finished?" He asked mockingly. Ava looked at him and gave him a final push before he let her go. She walked angrily out the door muttering profanity on her way out. He laughed to himself and shook his head.


	9. Debts of Despair

Ava had never felt this flustered in her life. The rage was consuming her to such an intensity she didn't know what she was going to do. How dare Jean attack her and expect her to bow down to him, and the nerve Dracula had to mock her like she was a toddler again. Ava couldn't do anything about it, she needed someone to confide in, someone who would talk her out of jumping out the highest window in the castle.

"Mello" she muttered to herself. She immediately headed to his room. Opening the door without knocking she expected him to be sleeping, but he wasn't in his room. The sun had come up at this point and light was pouring through the windows of the castle. She knew this was the safest time for her to be out, nothing immortal could touch her at this point. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she went in search of Mello. She couldn't imagine what he was out and about doing. If he knew the trouble he would be in if he was caught roaming the castle maybe he would have stayed in his room. "But this is Mello" she thought to herself. She knew him well enough to know that rules meant very little to him as well as boundaries, mortal or immortal.

She couldn't imagine where he was, but she certainly couldn't imagine seeing him running away and abandoning her. Ava quickly searched through the castle, searching every room. There seemed to be endless amounts of rooms within the castle walls. Her search seemed hopeless until she heard his familiar voice from a distance.

"Ava" he called her from the end of the corridor. Ava ran over to him and hugged him tightly. He looked less pale and cleaner than before. He was started to look like Mello she saw and knew months ago. "Where did you go? You can't be out like this! What if you get caught?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Ava, Ava, Ava. You obviously don't know me well. I was searching for an out in this place." He said winking at her. She knew she had to get involved or she would never escape this hell she had been living in. "I found a back door that leads out of the castle. We can run to the mountains and hopefully round up some horses in a nearby village." He said with a smile. Ava smiled back, she felt like a giddy girl again, like she was going on a secret mission.

"When do we leave?" Ava asked eagerly suddenly forgetting her problems.

"Soon. I need a day or two to plan our escape but I shall let you know." Ava was excited at just the thought. But she still didn't know whether they would get away with it or not.

"You look upset, what happened?" Mello asked looking down at her trying to read her emotions. Ava shook her head, it wasn't worth getting worked up again and having Mello possibly do something both of them would regret. "Foolishness" she replied with a smile, trying to ease his mind of her worries.

He held her in his arms and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and smiled. She loved Mello dearly and couldn't imagine life without him. They were locked in each other's embrace for what seemed like forever. Ava loved every moment of it. Mello was the first to break from her grasp.

"I must go and figure out how we are getting out. Meet me here at sunrise tomorrow, and we will get out of this wretched place." He began to walk away, and winked at her once more reassuring her that everything would be ok.

Mello walked down the corridor and into an unfamiliar room. He wasn't nervous about roaming the castle by himself, but was on edge knowing that vampires seem to lurk in every corner. It was dark in the room except for a single lit candle. There was a man with golden blonde hair was sitting at a desk in what seemed to be an office of some kind. He was flipping through papers when Mello had rudely interrupted him. Looking up they both looked at one another trying to figure out the others intentions. "I don't believe we've met." Said the mysterious man to Mello. He picked up the candle and walked over to him, studying him.

"There's really no need for an introduction." Mello replied coolly.

"I believe I recognize you from somewhere young man. Have we met?" Jean said. His face was awfully familiar, too familiar to forget. He was beginning to place where he had met him once. Mello was quiet, he hoped the man didn't realize who he was. He would be in a great amount of danger if he knew.

"Ahh, were you not the man that swindled me out of my own money. The cardshark of the poker table?"

"I hardly swindled, more like having incredible luck." Mello said defending himself. Being called a cardshark in this day and age was a highly offensive term.

"No I remember clearly. You beat me and all my other good men in a favorable hand only a few months ago. And you stole my bride to be in the process. I must admit, I was more upset over the girl than I was in losing my own money." Jean said in a mocking tone. This man had much to pay for. He had wronged too many men and had stolen a great deal from them all.

"She obviously didn't want to be your bride, she was in bed with me all night."

"And by early morning when she left she was dead in my arms as I drank her dry" Jean said while circling him. "I couldn't imagine as drunk as you were how you managed to steal so much from me. She even went home with you after you had ranted about another girl you had left home, Ava was her name was it not?"

In sudden realization, the pieces of the puzzle were coming perfectly into place. "Ahh, this Ava girl must be quite the talk. I heard about her from even your own master Aleera how she is stealing the good Count away. Her red hair I admit is highly irresistible to touch while you take full advantage of her." Jean cocked an eyebrow as he stopped directly in front of Mello, grinning an evil smile showing that he knew exactly who this girl was. "You seemed awfully fond of her when you and I had met. Couldn't stop talking about how gorgeous she was." Mello stood there trying to ignore his taunts. His blood began to boil thinking of how Jean could have possibly harmed her. "I must admit, she is perfect in…every…way possible." He said slowly teasing him.

"You bastard!" Mello shouted and shoved him up against the table. Jean chuckled, he was amused he had worked his nerve. Mello panted in anger, his eyes bulging out and he gritted his teeth in fury. Jean put up his hands as if he were surrendering.

"Now kind Sir, I believe I may have offended you have I not?" Jean smiled. There was a pause, Mello didn't bother answering his rhetorical question. "Let us play a hand of what I like to call "personal poker" You play your lucky hand right, you and the girl are left alone, by me at least. If I so happen to win, you will be my business partner and I can give you all you want and more as long as you give me what I want in return."

Mello slowly eased off him. "What do you mean by business partner?" Mello asked sternly.

"What I mean is that, well let's talk about this like gentlemen and not be so, oh what's the word, physical?" Jean said looking down at Mello's hands that were clutched tightly on his jacket. Mello let go roughly and stepped back.

"Now then, I propose that you be my right hand when it comes to me, my finances and whatever else I want to conquer."

"And what does that require" Mello asked.

"Well as you and I both know, you owe me and a lot of other unfortunate others a great sum of money. I can offer you protection from those "others" and as long as you work with me, consider your debt being paid off." Jean said, knowing he was enticing Mello. Almost all the vampires knew about Mello and how he stole money from their cold hands. Most wanted him tortured and murdered in the most gruesome ways. He was quick with numbers, an excellent card counter and was quick witted. He needed someone like that to help him become more of a name within Europe. He wanted the power and glory that only so few have encountered such as the good Count.

"And what do you want in return?" Mello asked, more and more interested with this deal.

"All I ask is that you do what I say and I get the girl in return." Jean smiled in delight that he had put Mello in an awkward situation. A double edged sword of life he had just handed him. Pay off all his debts and walk away with his life in a simple return of giving up the girl he loved. Mello stood there, uneasy with what had just been proposed to him. He needed to think about it before he could answer. Jean seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and replied, "I will give you a couple days to think about it and what I have to offer." Jean said straightening his jacket and patting him on the shoulder. He walked away humming a haunting melody as if he had just hit the jackpot.

(Transition)

Ava ran off into her room and paced back and forth, thinking of all the things she must prepare for. She finally laid down resting both her mind and body. So much had happened in the last 24 hours and her running away seemed like the best thing yet. She was restless throughout the entire day, waking up with her usual nightmares and the eerie fact that Jean was not due to leave until the sun set.

Waking up, the sun was only a couple hours from setting. Ava quickly got dressed and headed to the kitchen. Melissa and the other girls were there cleaning and preparing for the Count's meal. The room suddenly hushed in silence, each of the girls looking at Ava as soon as she walked in. Ava felt uncomfortable. She didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on. Ava slowly walked to Melissa. "Hey there." She said. Melissa looked up at her and then looked down and continued to wash the dishes. "What's going on?" Ava asked, trying to start a conversation with her. Melissa continued to ignore Ava as if she had done something. "Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Ava asked sternly, staring down Melissa. Melissa sighed an annoyed sigh got up and grabbed Ava's arm. She walked her outside the room and into the corridor.

"What the hell is going on?" Ava asked, annoyed beyond anything. "Is it true?" Melissa asked intently. "Is what true?" Ava was confused, what possibly happened that would have all the girls angry with her.

"Rumor is that you slept the Count. And you are getting favors in return." Ava's eyes widened. "For god sakes, those rumors have been going around for ages now, and no, I did not sleep with that bastard of a man and no, I don't get any favors in return."

"Yes but the rumors before were that he just fancied you." Ava rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And what in God's name would I get in return?"

"We haven't seen you do hardly any chores around here. We are slaving away while you get a free ride. It's not fair and we shouldn't have to clean up after your dirty work." Melissa was obviously angry with her.

"What dirty work? I haven't done anything to create dirty work."

"Last night Jean made it very clear to poor Janette last night that you didn't satisfy him. Now she is in pieces for having slept with him and is horribly sick."

Ava's heart suddenly began racing. She couldn't believe Jean would go after another girl. But on second thought, he was very much ready to make Ava his and only his. The rumors of girls sleeping with a vampire seemed very much true, whoever sleeps with one becomes violently ill and dies shortly after.

"But why would she sleep with him? She didn't have to!" Ava screamed in frustration. Why was all the blame being put on her. "Because Ava, the Count told us we needed to accommodate his every need. You obviously didn't hear him when he spoke, or you were already too busy." Melissa crossed her arms, getting defensive.

"No let me tell you what happened." Ava said, walked closer to Melissa as she stepped back. She knew she was intimidating her and was making sure her words came across loud and clear. "I was in my room all night up until I was attacked by Jean. And no you're damn right I wouldn't sleep with him because I am not a whore and sleep with whoever demands such a degrading act. Now then, after he attacked me the Count came and stopped him and he took me to a room. I immediately let him know exactly what I thought of him and how much I despise him. And if you haven't noticed, I do just as many chores as you and every other damn servant in this house. So step off and move on with your life!" Ava was through yelling at her and stormed off. She couldn't believe them all.

Ava couldn't wait until the sun would rise so that she and Mello could run far away from this place. Looking out from one of the windows in the hallway, purple was beginning to cover the sky with bright oranges and reds. Ava thanked god that somehow time was passing by and this only meant 12 hours before she would be free again.

Ava searched in the castle for possible supplies that both she and Mello might need. Chores didn't matter at this point and hunting for survival tools seemed more important. Ava wandered in rooms she had never seen, some were storage and filled with cobwebs and dust. Others were elegant and full of gold and silver. She needed to look for something that she and Mello could sell that the Count wouldn't miss, as she did with Kelly. Climbing up stairs to one of the tallest towers in the castle, she opened the door at the top. It was another storage room, full of junk and things the Count would most likely not miss. Rummaging through everything she found knick knacks that may serve a purpose.

Coming across a box, she unveiled a silver dagger. It was gorgeous the finest of the finest. She had never seen a weapon with such beauty. It had red rubies glistening on the handle with carved roses and vines throughout the dagger. It shined in the sun light peering through the windows. Searching through more boxes she unearthed gems, silver candle holders, books and other odds and ends. But as she looked through her stash of items, she saw that one of the books was in fact not a book. It was a diary. No name had been carved in the old leather. It was dusty and the pages were not in pristine shape. But the hand writing was graceful and elegant inside. Ava couldn't help herself and began to read the first page she opened to.

"_I looked into his eyes knowing I couldn't have him to myself and only myself. I had been arranged a marriage to the Tsar and yet I couldn't feel more alone in this world. All I wanted was him, only him. Not Peter Belov, Tsar of Russia could love me the way he did. I wish I could mention his name within my own thoughts in this journal, but out of fear of myself and my family I must withhold. I remember him embracing me with his arms holding me safe from all the evil in the world, even from Peter. Peter is a man of unimaginable strength and power, having vampires and other evils work beneath him. He is a tyrant that can only be stopped if the world were to suddenly end. I don't love him, but I must bear his children knowing that I love this other man more than all the spoken words of the world. I want to run away from Peter, but yet I am trapped. I have a duty to my family and my Empire to not succumb to my deepest passions. I don't know if he knows my immense love for him, I don't even know if he ever will, but I hope at some point in time the truth will unveil itself from the wrath of the Tsar." _

Ava couldn't help but feel the deep connection the woman behind the journal. How did she marry a man whom she hated so much and never tell the man she lusted for how much she loved him. She wanted to read the whole diary right there, but knew she needed to continue on her search of supplies. Tucking it away in the side of her corset, she rushed down the stairs with the other items in hand.

**Author's Note**

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed and favorite my story! I know I haven't really come out to say thank you, but the support is amazing and it only pushes me to write more! I love hearing feedback from you guys so the more the better There is definitely what I believe a fantastic plot in this story that will hopefully catch everyone off guard in a good and shocking way ;) Much love to you all!**

**LC**


	10. Love's Betrayal

Ava hurried down the corridor, trying to bypass anyone she may come across. She had items in her hand that if anyone saw her with them, they would assume she was stealing, which in fact she was. But never the less she needed to sneak her way to her room. Managing to get there unnoticed, she grabbed a traveler's bag she had taken with her to the castle when she first arrived. Stuffing it with her items, she needed to somehow run to the kitchen and grab food for her and Mello's long journey. Slowly closing her bedroom door behind her she glanced both ways down the hall before quickly walking towards the kitchen. Quickly she turned a corner only to run into Jean. She seemed to have the habit of running into people, especially those whom she despised. Jean smiled, he had his gloves on and his cane under his arm as he was ready to leave the castle.

"You my dear can't seem to get enough of me." He said laughing.

"Highly unlikely." She muttered under her breathe. She moved around him, but he grabbed her arm. She looked at her arm and then at him. "It's best that you don't forget me, because I don't think I will ever forget a face like yours." He said with now a stern voice. Ava pulled her arm away disgusted that he had touched her yet again. Ava began walking away and noticed Dracula standing there with his arms behind his back, expecting to walk his dear friend out the door. He didn't even look at Ava, he just stared at Jean.

"Well Vlad, it's a shame that you have me leaving so early. I must say we should get together more often." Jean spoke as he sauntered over to him. Dracula smiled at his long time friend. "If you were more trustworthy you would have been granted a longer stay." He said. Jean and he often went back and forth between them, playing with each other's nerve in a friendly way.

Jean laughed, "You can never trust a man with desires like a stallion, you of all people should know." He said as he watched Ava walk away. "And if you ever decide to rid yourself of that beauty, you know where to send her." They both laughed, but Dracula found himself forcing it. Jean stuck out his hand and Dracula shook it with his other hand on his back. He was going to miss his friend, but Ava and the other girls were in danger with him here. He had heard about Janette. She was new, and only met her a few times, but had heard of her unfortunate sickness that could only be explained by a vampire.

Dracula watched his friend get into his carriage and ride off in the distance. Sighing he walked back through the large front doors and was in search of his servants. He walked into the kitchen where all the girls were, preparing for his breakfast for both him and his wife. Ava was nowhere to be found. The girls looked at him, expecting him to say something.

"Where is Janette?" He asked softly.

"She is in the servant room on the third floor sir." Melissa replied. Dracula turned around and headed to her room. He felt bad for the girl, yet it was a price to pay when serving a vampire. He had reached her room, but before he opened the door, he heard a voice, Ava's voice.

"_Janette I am so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I would kill the bastard myself if I could."_

Dracula knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Ava looked up at him, tears in her eyes. He could feel her remorse for the girl she barely knew. It was supposed to be her in that bed dying, not Janette. Janette with golden blonde hair lay motionless on the bed. A feverish sweat upon her forehead and her skin was ghostly white. Ava looked away and held her hand tight in her own hand. Dracula couldn't stand the sight of either of them.

"Leave us." He told Ava. She looked at him in confusion. What was he going to do, she couldn't imagine. Ava said her goodbyes and walked out the door closing it. Dracula and Janette were in the room alone and he felt pity for the girl. She was no more than 20 yet her life was practically over. He sat on her bed and felt her forehead. It was fiery hot, yet she wasn't even conscious. She wasn't going to survive the night, she was beyond sick. Dracula looked at her and slowly bent over and exposed her neck from her luscious hair. He could feel her weakened pulse. With his hands he gently placed them on either side of her head and with a quick twist of her neck, he ended her life. It was one of the first times he felt some sort of morals, and putting her out of her misery was the only option he had left. Getting up he straightened his jacket and walked out of the room. Ava stood there expecting to go in, but he blocked her.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"I did what I had to. She was going to die anyways." He said with no emotion. Ava stood there with her mouth open not believing he had just ended that poor girl's life so suddenly. It was her fault she had fallen ill, and it was his fault he ended her life.

"You bastard…." She muttered under her breath. She was in disbelief that he was so cruel and had no emotion towards the girl. But she reminded herself this was Count Dracula, the most powerful vampire in all of Europe.

"Ava you don't understand." He said sternly. He was annoyed with her tone. Her smart remarks he loved in the past were now offensive and he didn't appreciate it. "No I understand. I understand that you're a cold hearted undead bastard who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself! You didn't have to kill her! There must have been some way to save her!"

"Ava, you cannot save a girl who is already dead. That is the price of sleeping with a vampire." He said, beginning to get annoyed.

"You gave her no choice!"

"You will not talk to me in that tone." He snarled back.

"I will talk to you as I so damn well please!" She barked back. She walked away but not very far. Dracula had more than enough with her attitude tonight and roughly grabbed her shoulder, turning her around.

"Let me remind you Ava that you are my servant, my prisoner and my play toy if I so see it fit!" He yelled at her. Ava swatted his hand away and quickly replied, "I may be a servant and a prisoner, but I will be damned if I ever be a play toy for a vampire or any other person. No sane girl would ever want to touch a demon like you! Only a whore would do so!" He grabbed her by both her shoulders and pressed her up against the wall, slowly crushing her body into the hard stone. He pressed up against her, his cold skin barely touching hers. Her hot breath was warming his face. He wanted so badly to turn her into a vampire and rid Aleera once and for all. He drew out his fangs and opened his mouth slightly to show her the danger of angering a vampire. It was extremely tempting yet he for the first time in all of his life as a vampire thought he may regret it.

"Get off of me….." Ava harshly whispered. She was looking straight into his icy blue eyes. Slowly he retracted his fangs and spoke softly, yet sternly, "You will never talk to me like that again. Do I make myself clear?" He waited for an answer, but she didn't give one. She was the most defiant human he had ever met and it angered him to the core. He let go of her and slowly backed off and walked away. Ava stood there staring at him. Now her anxiety of running away had sky rocketed, knowing that she would probably be put into more danger now that she had angered him.

(Transition)

Ava waited in her room anxiously, waiting for the sun to rise. Her heart was in a flutter and she knew that it was almost time. Feeling as though she needed to pass the remaining few minutes, she grabbed the diary from her corset and began to read the next page.

"_Peter is ruining the empire slowly with his hate and greed. There are so many of my people dying of hunger or from the evils of hell. He has vampires and werewolves working, feeding off of those who have questioned his authority of the crown. I cannot walk down the market without hearing women crying over their husband's bodies and seeing orphaned children left of the street to fend for themselves. Moscow has been torched with fires of rebellion along with other cities and villages. The smell of death lingers in the air. I don't know what our empire will be like 20 years from now, but I cannot foresee it succeeding compared to the other countries._

_My darling love stands there listening to his orders of murder and chaos. I know deep down in my heart he isn't a monster as most would assume from spoken tales. He is the leader of those beneath Peter's rule. I wish he himself would kill Peter and rid the world of one less evil, but his allegiance with him is great. Even though I see him look at me with desire, we both must resist out of fear of our lives. But there is also another life at stake. I feel a second body within my womb. I have yet to tell Peter, but I cannot hide such a secret. I have nurses and guards watching my every move as commanded by Peter. He has tried desperately to conceive a child, and now he has accomplished his goal with an heir to the throne. I know Peter will be displeased if I birth anything other than a son, but I can't help but feel I would want a daughter._

_I believe my darling knows of the child. He hasn't spoken such words, but I know he knows. If I could bear his children and only his, I would do it within a second, but I have no choice but to birth the child of Peter. "_

Ava sighed at the love story. It was enchanting to read. But just as she had gotten over the love story, the realized the sun was hanging high in the sky. She grabbed her bag, put the diary in the pocket of the bag and left. Mello stood in the corridor by the foyer, hiding from any unwanted witnesses. Ava saw him and he ushered her to come over to him. She darted across the corridor. He looked at her and asked, "Are you ready?" Ava nodded her head. He grabbed her hand and they ran through what seemed like an endless amounts of passages and corridors. Soon they were in a part of the castle that was completely unfamiliar to her. Mello stopped at a door and looked at her. They both took a deep breath knowing that freedom was just on the other side of that door. Opening it, they both ran as fast as they possibly could towards the forest. They seemed to run forever. Ava managed to keep up with Mello, but was struggling to breathe. He had taken notice and slowed to a stop.

They both sat down on the black dirt panting, trying to catch their breath. They locked eyes on one another and smiled, knowing that they so far were getting away with it. After a few minutes Mello and Ava got up and began walking. They walked and ran for hours before coming across a village. It was eerie, very few people lived here. Everyone there noticed the outsiders. All of them were staring at them both. Mello grabbed her hand and they walked over to a man with several horses tied up outside his home. The old man was sitting in a chair on the porch with a gun in one hand and a cigar in his mouth. He looked at them both. Mello approached him.

"How much for two of these fine horses?" Mello asked with a smile, trying to coax him into making a deal.

"They're not for sale boy." The man grumbled.

Ava immediately searched in her bag and pulled out the silver candle holders. The man's eyebrows rose as he became suddenly interested.

"You can pick two." He said pointing to the horses. Ava smiled in delight and picked her favorite horse. It was a black percheron that was gigantic in weight and height. It towered over her but she liked its intimidating stature. Mello chose a similar one but was light brown. They both rode off into the distance, the hooves of the horses sounding like thunder with every step. Hours of riding, both she and Mello had grown tired by the time the sun was beginning to set. Stopping in another village they made their way to a pub.

It was full of drunken laughter and talk when they entered, but soon fell silent when the villagers had noticed the newcomers. Mello and Ava made their way to a table. Immediately they ordered food and a round of beer. Neither of them spoke as they ate the food. It was horrible food, but the best food that either of them had eaten in months. Savoring every mouthful they finished in satisfaction. Ava was beginning to feel the beer in her system. But she needed a pick me up and continued to drink. Mello asked the bartender for a round of absinth for the both of them. "We need to celebrate in escaping unhappiness and death." He said winking at her. She smiled. It was an accomplishment so far, but she didn't know how long it would last.

Ava choked down the absinth and felt even more dizzy and disoriented than before. A middle aged man came up to the table and began to eye Ava. "You need to sell her to one of these lads boy! She would come in handy for some extra cash!" Obviously drunk Mello looked at him and replied, "You need to stop gazing at her as if you have never laid in bed with a woman. She is with me." Mello said cunningly as he sipped his beer. The man looked offended and began to start a fight. "You are looking for a good beating aren't you boy!" Mello stood up and got right in his face. The alcohol was giving him nerve of steel. The man's friends were holding him back as he tried to throw a punch at Mello. Ava sat there not really noticing anything that was happening around her. She couldn't recall any other time she felt like this, and she wasn't sure if she enjoyed it or not. Suddenly Mello was guiding her out of the chair and out the door. They stopped by an inn and he gently placed her on her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was in a deep sleep.

Mello looked at her. She was a gorgeous creature by far, no one compared to her, yet he would have to force himself to make the choice of keeping her or giving her up to Jean. The conversation between the two of them had never left his mind and he was constantly weighing his options. He remembered when Jean had said if he played his lucky hand right, he would have both. But the only way of him playing that hand was if he could kill Jean. It seemed like a nearly impossible feat. He had only heard of one or two people killing a vampire. He began to make Ava more comfortable, starting with taking off her shoes. Then he took off her jacket. As soon as he did, he had exposed her breasts trying to break away from her corset. They were perfect and enticing, but he knew if he wanted Ava, he would want her to remember.

"Did I not tell you she was perfect?" The eerie voice spoke behind Mello. Mello turned around to see Jean in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows. He stepped out and revealed himself. "What do you want?" Mello snarled.

"If I do recall, you needed to make a decision. It has been a couple days as I had granted." Jean was staring at Ava. She lay so innocently in her bed, close to being exposed, it was just that damn corset.

"You are asking me to make an impossible decision." Mello said.

"Ah so I have put you in a difficult spot have I? Well let's just say you end up being my right hand man, here is what I would offer you. You would have all the riches in the world without a single doubt in your mind that you couldn't afford anything you desired. Women will flock to you, to lie in your bed and do everything you ever command. There are many more highlights with being on my side, but all I ask is one thing from you."

Mello looked over at Jean who was grinning ear to ear. "And what is it you want?"

"I want to overthrow Dracula and have me become the most powerful vampire in all of Europe." Jean paused and looked down at Ava to play with her hair, "But with this beauty as my queen."

Mello couldn't bear the thought of giving her up, but everything he was offering was enticing. Most of all being able to overthrow Dracula. That meant of course he would share the glory and would rule an empire of his own if he so pleased. The endless amounts of money showering him seemed like the cherry on top. Mello knew his greed for power and wealth greatly overcame his want for a lover, and he slowly began to realize how much he desired it.

"I can't just hand her over to you, she'll never look at me in the same light." Mello said thinking of himself.

"Bring her to the edge of the black forest come sundown tomorrow and I shall arrange someone to steal her away from you." Jean stuck out his hand over the bed. Mello hesitated, but it was too much to resist. Shaking his hand, they both agreed on their plan of destruction.

(Transition)

"WHERE IS SHE!" Dracula screamed at Melissa and the other girls. None of them knew where she and the boy had disappeared to. They seemed to have vanish into thin air. Dracula was fuming. He stormed out the room, knocking everything over. He had enough with this girl and her lack of respect for him. Walking towards the foyer to go out the front door, Aleera stood before him trying to stop him. "Master please, don't leave me! She will probably be killed by werewolves before you find her." Dracula snarled, he didn't want to hear Aleera pleading with him to stay. "Get out of my way." He yelled at her. Aleera still stood there, but Dracula pushed past. She grabbed his arm to hold him back but instantly turned around and showed his fangs to her. He hissed in anger. Pulling his arm away he left Aleera there in the foyer by herself.

As soon as he stepped foot out the front doors, he transformed into his bat creature and took to the night. He hunted her as if he were hunting for food. He tried to pick up on her scents, but it seemed nearly impossible with all the other human scents he could smell. He shrieked into the night sky and continued his search. He stopped every so often in the woods to see if he could pick up her scent from the ground. Slowly he was beginning to track her. He smelled both she and the boy and horses. Finally he had found her in a village, but the sun was about to rise and he had to call off his search for the time being. Angrily sighing he veered off into a cave in the side of the mountain and stayed there hiding from the sunlight.

**Author's note**

**Duh Duh Duh, the plot has thickened my friends. Read and Review! **

**Love ya!**


	11. Roses are Red

Ava awoke with the worst headache she had ever experience. She was nauseas and felt as though her insides were on fire. Running to the bathroom, she vomited all her regrets of the previous night. Hovering over the toilet, she regained her strength and walked back into the bedroom. Mello was nowhere, but there were new clothes laid out on a chair in the corner. Riding pants, a blouse, a corset and riding boots made of the finest quality of leather. A note was resting on top of the clothes in Mello's handwriting along with a single red rose.

_Ava,_

_Picked these up in the market, meet me out by the forest when you are ready._

_Yours always,_

_Mello_

Ava smiled, picked up the rose and smelled it. Mello knew how to treat her well. Getting dressed she washed her face and brushed her luscious curls and headed out the door with her bag in tow. Stepping out in the street, it was busy with the morning rush of villagers buying their supplies for the day. Ava walked over to one of the stands and bought an apple. Biting into it, she tried to remember the last time she had fresh fruit. She began to walk past the village and onto a dirt road where the forest had begun. It was a crisp and sunny day, a perfect day for anything really. She saw Mello lying in a field of grass a distance away with the horses grazing happily near him.

She snuck over to him as quietly as she could, wanting to surprise him. She placed one leg either side of him, blocking the sunlight. He opened one eye and smiled in delight. "I see you found your new attire." He said amazed of how she looked in those pants. The blouse was loose across her bosom showing off her cleavage. She dropped to her knees, and sat on top of his stomach. She bent down her hair over one side shielding them from that part of the world. She began to toy with him. Her hangover was quickly gone and she began kissing his cheek, feeling the roughness of his stubble. No one was in site and if they wanted to, they could be in each other's arms creating a number of sins and no one would know. She teased him, drawing her lips closer to his but pulling away just as they were about to touch. Mello grew impatient and quickly flipped her over so he lay on top of her and he was in control.

He kissed her neck and slowly worked his way down her blouse and to her cleavage. He wanted to rip the corset off, she was too irresistible. Slowly he began to untie it. He kissed her lips softly and passionately. She could feel him panting as they both grew excited. With the corset finally undone, he ripped it off and slid his hand beneath her blouse. Her perfectly shaped breasts engulfed his hand. Squeezing it and caressing it, he kissed her hard on her lips. His tongue invaded her mouth, and she gladly accepted it. Her hands traveled from his chiseled chest down to his pants where she could feel the bulge pulsing between his legs. Beginning to untie his pants, she also grew impatient. Finally releasing his manhood from the restraints of his pants, she gripped it and worked her way up and down, slowly and sensually.

Mello pulled back from the kiss as he gasped. He wanted Ava to be with him like this the entire time they had known one another. He never understood why this didn't happen sooner. Wanting to invade her, he took off her boots and pants within seconds. He toyed with her and worked his fingers inside and out, playing with her. She moaned in ecstasy wanting him to do more. There they lay in the tall grass, doing ungodly things to one another, and yet not a care in the world. Mello positioned himself and thrusted inside her. She gasped as he had filled her. It was passionate and nothing in this world could tear them apart. Thrusting again and again, she moaned in delight. She had never been with someone who made her feel like this before. They both were on the verge of climax, and soon Mello pulled out and released himself. They both were left there panting and breathing hard, knowing that they had the most intense sex that either of them had ever experienced.

Mello rested above her, the cold air felt amazing on their steaming skin. Ava looked into Mello's eyes. She knew she wanted him forever, she couldn't bear to be apart from him. "You have to promise you will never leave me." Mello looked at her and kissed her forehead softly and whispered back, "I will never leave you."

With both of them getting dressed, they kissed one last time before they got on their horses and traveled down a trail. Ava didn't have the slightest idea where Mello was leading her, but she knew she could trust him. They traveled for hours, only stopping to eat and drink water from the stream. Finally they had reached the edge of the forest. They stood near a cliff on the edge of a mountain. Ava couldn't help herself gaze at the beautiful sight before them. The sun was slowly setting and Mello had built a fire to keep them warm. She huddled next to him, wanting him to embrace her. He wrapped his arm around her and they stared into the fire. Time seemed to stop for Ava. Mello broke their embrace and got up. "I am going to get more firewood. Stay here, I will be back." She looked up at him and smiled. He walked away into the darkness of the forest. Ava listened to the nighttime music of the animals.

Mello had seemed to have been gone forever. All she could do was sit there and wait. Humming to herself to keep her occupied, she suddenly noticed that all the animals of the forest had suddenly gone quiet. Ava looked around, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly a cold arm wrapped around her neck and dragged her off. She fought against the unknown person and began to scream for Mello. He was nowhere to be seen. A hand covered her eyes and suddenly she was in a deep sleep. Motionless the vampire picked her up in his arms and flew off into the distance.

Mello walked out by the fire, watching Ava being carried to her new life without him.

"I see you said your goodbyes earlier, I can smell her on you." Jean said coming from behind Mello. Mello felt guilty he had slept with her, but he needed to know what it was like to have her all to him before he sent her off to the unknown. "I would say that was a bastard move you pulled on her my friend, but I will see to it that she is kept preoccupied." Mello looked over at Jean with no emotion. He felt he had no soul, he had given up the girl he loved for the security of money and power. Jean chuckled as he transformed into his bat form and flew off into the distance

Ava slowly roused from her sleep. She couldn't remember when she fell asleep, or what have even happened. Her vision was blurred as she began to open her eyes. Trying to focus them, she blinked her eyes several times. Slowly her vision was coming back to her. Looking around she realized she wasn't in the forest anymore. Where is Mello? She thought to herself. The room was dark except for the fireplace in front of her bed spewing warmth and light in the room. It was a fairly large room, one she had never been in. The enormous bed she was laying on had black fur covers and green curtains hung open allowing the moon to shine through.

Slowly she worked her way out of bed. She was still drowsy and her body didn't seem to do what she wanted. She didn't understand how she got here, or even where she was. Finding the door she opened it and peered her head out. Looking both directions, she stepped out into the hallway. It was brightly lit with candles and chandeliers, similar to Dracula's but more with elegance. Large gold paintings hung on the walls of diplomats and military commanders. She was in amazement of the size of this Palace. It was filled with the finest gold and silver with large Persian rugs covering the marble floors. Ava had never been to a palace this beautiful in her life, and how she got here was confusing her more and more by the second.

"Madame." Came a voice of a woman. Ava turned around to see a woman in her early 30s with a black and white maids outfit looking at her. She gracefully walked over to Ava, as Ava stood there in shock.

"Where am I?" She asked looking around the palace.

"You are in Palace of Versailles Madame." Said the woman with the thick French accent. Before Ava could ask any more questions, the woman spoke. "My name is Marie and I will be your servant Madame." Ava now more confused than ever and said in return, "I don't understand, this is a mistake." But Marie quickly hushed her and continued to talk. "You don't need to fret my child, you are expected in the library." Marie grabbed her arm and had her follow down the lovely gold enriched hallways to the library. When she opened the door, Ava gasped at the sight. It must have been three floors tall, filled from floor to ceiling in books. She had never seen a library of this size in her entire life. Ava stopped in the middle of the floor, staring up at the ceiling in amazement. The door suddenly shut and Ava was left alone in this room. Looking around, she couldn't imagine who was expecting her. A hand suddenly wrapped around her small waist and kisses showered her neck. They were cold upon her skin. Ava tried to turn around but whoever was caressing her, but he held her firm to his front side. "You my dear are the most precious diamond of the world." Cooed a voice in her ear. Ava shuttered in disgust, knowing full well who was behind her. She tried to struggle against him, but she could muster the strength to fight. It was almost as if he were controlling her body. Turning her around she saw Jean's face. He was smiling, his red tinted eyes glowing in the light. "You're a monster." She said to him. He laughed in her face, finding it most humorous that she continued to fight. "My dear, there is no use fighting. You are mine now." He said, moving her hair to the side. Her beautiful neck was exposed and he could hear her heartbeat quicken with time. He brushed his fangs lightly across her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "Where's Mello? What did you do with him?" She demanded. Jean looked at her and replied in a sensual voice, "He and I came to an agreement, and you were my reward." Ava's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that Mello would sell her out to a monster like this. "That's not true!" She spat back. He laughed in delight. "Oh it isn't is it? Well shall I bring him over darling?" He said mockingly. He snapped his fingers and Mello soon opened the door to the library. He was different than ever before. Ava didn't understand what was happened. He stood before her, no longer in rags but with the finest clothing in all of Europe. He wore a olive green military styled jacket with gold buckles, black pants adorned with dark brown leather boots. His long hair didn't hang in his face, untamed and wild. No, his hair was neatly brushed and his subtle waves caressed his face. Ava broke free of Jean's grasps and ran over to Mello. She hugged him and pleaded, "Mello take me away from here." He made no response. She looked up at him and noticed how dead his eyes seemed. "Mello?" She said placing her hand on his face. But immediately she drew her hand away in fear and shock. His skin was ice cold and ghostly white. She placed a hand on his chest. "You have no heartbeat!" Mello couldn't allow himself to get emotional over her. He was a vampire now, and he needed to detach himself from his previous lover. She was no longer his, but was Jeans. Ava was suddenly angry, knowing that the words that Jean had spoken about Mello were entirely true. "You ass! I can't believe you would do this!" She said punching him in the chest as hard as she could. "I gave up everything to be with you!" She screamed at him. He just looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Talk to me dammit!" She continued to scream. Jean's laughter could be heard in the background. Ava punched Mello hard across the face. His head turned to the side, he rubbed his cheek as he gave her a death stare. "Now now my dear, we don't want to be rude to my new friend." Jean said laughing as he pulled her back, his arm around her stomach. Ava wanted to punch him again and again, but Jean held her back. Ava grunted with anger. She couldn't believe any of this. How could Mello do this to her? Jean dragged her out the door and down the hallway.

(Transition)

Dracula was picking up on her scent now. He came across a burnt out fire with embers glowing in the night sky. He smelled the boy as well. He was close. He noticed drag marks in the dirt as if someone had been dragged away off the cliff. Squatting down he picked up the dirt in one hand, lightly smelling it. It was Ava. Something had happened to her. He also smelled a vampire. He couldn't decipher which vampire it was, but someone of the undead dragged her away. He was not far off the trail. Returning into bat form he flew into the night, tracing her smell. He flew for hours, losing her scent every so often, but picking it up. It was like a game of cat and mouse.

He soon found himself in France. He knew of only a few vampires in France, but one vampire in particular seemed more of the culprit than any of them. Shrieking into the night sky, he no longer needed to trace her scent. He knew exactly where to go. He headed to thePalace of Versailles knowing Jean was behind this. He even smelled the boys scent this far into the journey. Reaching the front gates of the Palace, he waved his hand and they slowly opened. He was out for blood now, and Jean was going to have to pay.

(Transition)

"Let go of me!" Ava screamed at Jean. Jean laughed knowing she was all his and only his. He had dragged her down the hallway and into another unfamiliar bedroom. It was elegant, filled with tapestries and a fur rug lying across the floor. The bed was larger than the one Ava had woken up in, but instead of black fur, this one had soft white fur. He pushed her onto the bed and began to kiss her sensually across her neck. She fought against him, but he knew with simple mind control he would force her to give in to him.

"I want you to be my queen." He whispered in her ear. As much as Ava wanted to be disgusted, she felt herself melting. Her body felt tingly as he rubbed his hand up and down her side. Why did she feel like she wanted to give herself to him? She kept reminding herself he was a vampire, a vampire she hated and despised. Yet the overwhelming feeling of surrendering herself to him was almost too much to bear. He knew she was slowly giving in, he smiled in delight. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She was lost in his eyes, the evil red tint was causing her to forget everything that had just happened. He slowly bent down to kiss her lips, and she gladly accepted. The kiss was hot and passionate. Ava was completely lost as he took over her mind. Before Ava could realize what was happening, Jean had ripped all her clothes off and she lay the naked on the white fur blanket. Her fire red hair against the fur made he seem more angelic. She was ready for him to turn her into one of his own. Jean knew she wanted him to bite her, but first he wanted to play with her. He took off his jacket, then pulled his silk shirt up and over his head exposing his muscular chest.

Ava's eyes seemed dulled from light and fire, but Jean knew it was only for the time being. Once he would turn her, she would have no choice but to accept him as her master. He moved her body so that her head was on the soft pillow. He invaded her mouth with his tongue, taking control of every bit of her. Her stomach quivered as he moved his hand, teasing her with his cold fingers as they caressed her body. She wanted to kiss him relentlessly, but suddenly the door burst open and there stood a dark figure.

Jean looked up and rolled his eyes. Moving from on top of her, he laid in the bed next to her. Ava quickly snapped out of the trance that Jean had put on her and realized the horrific things that were just happening. Ava sat up and quickly drew the fur over her body, covering herself from both Jean and the dark figure. "You my friend have a tendency with interrupting things." Jean said angrily. Ava sat there, embarrassed. She didn't understand how she almost allowed him to turn her and take her for himself. "You have stolen what was rightfully mine." The familiar bellowed. Ava recognized the voice and felt even more ashamed and embarrassed. Jean sat up and moved to Ava so he sat behind her. He forced her to lean back into his chest. He moved her tussled hair from her neck and dragged his teeth across it. She sat there not knowing what to do, but knew she wanted to leave and never see either of them again.

Dracula stepped out into the light and he looked at Ava. He couldn't believe she was in this position, ready to give herself to him. But he knew she was under his control, and resisting a vampire who has taken over you is harder than killing one. He saw her clothes on the floor, ripped in pieces. "Now Count, don't you want to have a go at her. I am good with sharing." Jean said, raising an eyebrow trying to sweeten him up.

"She ran from my castle without my knowledge and she needs to be punished." He said in a stern and frightful tone. Ava didn't know what she wanted more, to be with Jean or to go back with Dracula and have him punish her.

"Yes but once she is outside your walls, she is fair game is she not?" Jean said trying to bargain with him. He bit her earlobe and she shuttered at his touch. Suddenly within a blink of an eye, Dracula was no longer in front of her. Ava found herself sitting on the bed by herself and Dracula slamming Jean against the wall in anger. She had never seen two vampires fight, it was a blood bath. Dracula and Jean went back and forth into bat form, slicing each other's skin. Blood would pour out, but the wound would quickly heal. The white fur cover was quickly being covered in dark red blood. Jean and Dracula fought, knocking everything over, tearing curtains, breaking any object that stood in their way. Ava felt helpless in the bed naked and in the middle of a vampire brawl.

Jean reached into the fire and threw hot embers into the Count's face. It stopped him for a second as he shook his head, but his wounds healed and they continued. The fighting was gruesome and seemed to go on forever. Dracula was obviously winning, with Jean trying desperately to fight him off. Dracula pinned Jean in the corner, his hand tightly around his neck, both in bat form. Dracula hissed and showed the rows of razor sharp teeth in his mouth. Jean slowly transformed back into human form, panting and covered in cuts and blood smeared across his bare chest and face. "Take the whore!" He said with every breath. He was injured and beaten and could no longer fight him. Dracula's grip on his neck tightened, but soon let go. He dropped him, and Jean collapsed on the floor. It had taken every ounce of energy out of both of them, but Dracula had more power and strength to win.

He walked over to Ava in bat form. She sat on the bed, looking at Dracula, not believing what she had just witnessed. He too had blood across his body. Dracula slowly returned to his normal self, but his clothes were ripped and his hair disheveled. He had several cuts on his face and chest. He used too much energy and was slowly healing himself with what little he had left. He looked at her with anger and fury. She had put him in this position, and she would deeply regret it when they returned to his castle. He turned around and went through Jean's wardrobe and pulled out a pair of his pants and one of his shirts. He threw them at her. She couldn't believe she was going back to his castle. She slowly got dressed as He and Jean stared at one another with hate. She was dressed, blood in her hair and on her face. He grabbed her by the arm and shoved her towards the door. Before leaving, he looked at Jean, warning him to never do such a thing like this again, and proceeded to slam the door.


	12. Hard Life

Dracula dragged Ava down the hallway and out the front door. Not a single word came from his mouth. She could feel his anger, and his grip on her wrist was almost bone crushing. Walking out to the courtyard, he let go of her and turned to her. Ava could see he was drained of energy and he looked hurt. "You are an incredibly stupid girl" He muttered under his breath. She didn't have a response. She just looked down at her feet with her arms crossed. The air was chilly and the little clothes she had on barely kept her warm. "LOOK AT ME!" He barked at her. She hesitated, but forced herself to look at him. She had never seen anyone as angry as he was. "What were you thinking? Did you think you could get away from me?" He screamed at her. Ava looked down, she knew it was stupid and she was stupid for trusting Mello. He placed two fingers beneath her chin, forcing her eyes on him. "You will NEVER do this again or I swear on all the Gods of this damned world that I will kill you with my bare hands!" He had enough with her. He placed his hand on her eyes and she fell into a deep sleep. She began to fall to the ground, but Dracula had caught her and picked her up in his arms. Transforming into his bat form, he flew off into the night back to his castle.

Ava awoke on a cold floor. It was damp and dark in the room. She didn't have the slightest idea where she was, all she knew she was back at the castle. She could feel hay loosely sprawled across the floor. It was pitch black, all she could hear was the occasional dripping of water and her own breathing. It was freezing cold, her hands and feet numb from the icy stone. She tried to get up to walk around and feel her way through the darkness, but something held her back by her foot. Bending down she felt her foot only to find a shackle on it with a chain attached to the wall. Ava knew this was the beginning of her punishment. She sat down on the hard floor and leaned her back against the wall. Sighing she closed her eyes and waited for something to happen.

(Transition)

It had been days since Dracula had placed Ava in the dungeons beneath his castle. He was still bitter and angry with her actions. He was now fully healed, with the help of a unfortunate human's blood. He was feeding mercifully on any human that came across his path, nursing his own self back to health. He sat in his study sitting on his favorite chair thinking of everything that had happened. The glowing fire in front of him kept him sane. He had not only lost the girl he called his own, but he had fought with a near and dear friend. He expected Jean to start a war with him, knowing his personality all too well. Dracula had made the first move by stealing Ava back, now it was Jean's turn.

He felt a pair of soft cold hands on his shoulders, rubbing them trying to ease all the stress in his life. "Master, you have not spoken to me in days." Aleera spoke softly as she walked in front of him. Dracula looked up at her. She was a desperate woman who demanded his every attention. "And what is it you would like me to say my dear?" He muttered.

"I want my Master back, the one that longed for my touch. I want him to ravage me like when he first turned me into a bride." Aleera said bending down, showing off her cleavage from her long v-neck dress. She was hoping to entice him to go to bed with her. She needed the attention of a man, and Dracula had ignored her completely over the last few days. Dracula stared down her dress, remembering the times he and Aleera had. But he was in no mood at the moment. He got up, pushing her out of the way. Aleera followed him out the room. He was storming off down the corridor. "Why don't you just kill the little brat?" She said while pulling at his arm. He stopped for a moment and turned around looking at her. He still had anger plastered across his face. He had nothing to say to her. He pulled his arm away leaving Aleera in the corridor by herself.

Aleera had enough with him. She knew he fancied Ava and she needed to put an end to it. She didn't do well with sharing, especially when the other person was getting all the attention. Aleera stormed down the stairs grabbing a torch on her way down. She had reached the dungeon and without a second thought, she busted the door down. Ava awoke to a bright light. She shielded her eyes, she hadn't seen light in god knows how long. Slowly opening her eyes as they were adjusting, she saw Aleera standing before her. "What do you want?" Ava spat at her.

Aleera bent down in front of her giving her the look of death. "I want to be rid of you."

"Then go ahead and do it." Ava said aggressively.

"No darling I can't just dispose of you like I would please. The Master would kill me in return. But I just want to make it clear to you my sweet that he is mine, and only mine. If you so dare step in my way, I will break you in half and feed you to the wolves." Aleera was beyond livid.

"Trust me, I don't want anything to do with him, he is nothing to me." Ava said quietly. Aleera smacked her hard across her face drawing blood from her bottom lip. She could taste the blood.

Aleera suddenly smiled, "Good. Now that we have cleared thing up, I will leave you here to rot." Getting up she walked out the door leaving Ava alone.

(Transition)

Dracula woke up from a long rested sleep. Aleera was besides him in his coffin, hugging him tightly as she slept. Moving her hand from his chest, he got up and walked out of his room. He had suddenly decided that Ava needed to come out of the dungeon. She had been there nearly a week with little food or water. He walked down the endless amounts of stairs, reaching the door he paused taking a deep breath. He opened the door. It was black in the dungeon and he could sense Ava's heartbeat. He used his vampire abilities to see in the dark and find where she was. Ava was awake, staring off into the distance, not knowing who was in the dungeon with her. She didn't even realize he was directly in front of her, his face just inches from hers. He could feel her hot breath on his face. Something inside her sense there was something in front of her. She reached her hand out and touched a cold face. She knew immediately it was Dracula's. He quivered by the warmth of her touch. Her hands were as soft as a flower petal.

"Why are you here?" She asked softly, her hands still on his face.

"Your time here in the dungeon is up." He replied. Ava didn't know what to expect. But with the snap of his fingers, light engulfed the room and Ava closed her eyes shut and put up her arms shielding herself. The light seemed to be searing through her eyes, even though they were closed. Slowly she opened one eye, and then the other. She slowly put down her arms. Dracula still stood in front of her just inches away. The once dead torches on the walls were now lit with a high flame filling the room with light. Dracula noticed the cut on her swollen lip. It looked fresh. He looked down at her ankle where the shackle was, and with ease he ripped it off her leg as it lie on the floor in pieces. He got up and looked down at her. She was in a pathetic state, her hair dirty and still covered in blood from the fight between him and Jean. Her clothes were ripped and covered in dirt. "Follow me." He said. He turned around and walked out the door. Ava slowly got up and stumbled her way out the door and up the stairs. He led her to a guest room. She was hesitant to walk in, but he motioned her to come in.

He pointed to a door, "In there is a bathroom, clean yourself up." Ava looked at the door and then him. Slowly she walked to the door and opened it. It was a bathroom with marble counters, a porcelain bathtub and mirrors that hung on every inch of the room. Turning around, Dracula was gone. She stepped in and closed the door. She turned the steaming water on and watched it fill the tub. Slowly she undressed, taking off the tattered shirt. She was about to untie the pants when she realized there was something in the pocket. Placing her hand inside, she pulled out the diary. She had forgotten she left it there. Pulling off the pants, she stepped into the water slowly, trying to adjust to the heat. Finally sitting down in the tub, she opened the diary and started to read where she had left off.

"_There was a mass killing of the people. Peter believes that anyone opposed of his actions should be punished by death. He has admitted to me that he enjoys the pleasure of knowing the Empire fears him. Vampires and werewolves are running rampant in the streets, killing whoever they please. It is a mass genocide in my eyes. No one is safe from him. My love has warned me of the mass killings and Peter's anger over the rebellion of his people. Peter has given my love the job of protecting me while he runs the army of demons and beasts. It gives us the opportunity to spend time with one another. He keeps his distance though knowing that my life will end if any suspicion of us two reveals itself. _

_I couldn't help myself this morning when I was getting dressed. I knew my love was coming to check on me, and yet I still walked around in my room with my silk robe, nothing else beneath it. He walked in, shocked yet he couldn't hide his interest. I saw the way he looked at me. I knew right then he wanted to steal me away from Peter and make me his. Though being the gentleman that he was, he avoided looking at me and asked if I was ok. Peter knows nothing of our feelings for one another and god forbid he should find out. Even though I am a married woman carrying his child, I cannot help but feel I would throw everything away to be with my darling. The child inside me is strong. They kick me often, reminding me that they are still there. Even though it's Peter's blood inside me, I love the child immensely and shall protect it forever."_

Ava smiled after finishing the passage. She put the diary down on the counter behind her and sunk into the water. She enjoyed the water across her skin, feeling cleaner by the moment. She took the bottle of soap and lathered her hair, washing out the dried blood and dirt. The once clear water was slowly turning a murky red. After finishing her bath, she stepped out slowly, trying not to slip. Looking around she searched for something to wrap herself in. Lying on a chair in the corner was a black silk robe. She put it on, tying it tightly around her slender waist. It barely covered her bottom half. Opening the door she stepped out into the bedroom. Suddenly she noticed Dracula standing in the corner, arms crossed staring at her.

She immediately felt self conscious in front of him. He had already seen her naked in Jean's bed, and now he was seeing her in a robe that barely covered her. He stepped out from the corner and walked over to the closet of clothing. He rummaged through the clothes, finally picking out her clothes. He had picked black riding pants, a bright red corset and a stark white blouse. Handing it to Ava he looked at her with fire behind his eyes. She looked down and noticed it was brand new clothing. Ava took the clothing from his hands and slowly looked at it, studying its every detail.

"I will step outside." He walked out the door. Ava stood there watching him walk away. Getting dressed, the clothing fit her like a glove. The only issue was the corset. She was use to wearing corsets that tied in the front, but this one tied and the back. She stood before a tall mirror, placing the corset up to her chest. She was going to attempt to tie it, but she doubted she could. Suddenly a pair of cold hands were on hers, taking over the lacing of the corset. She couldn't see his reflection and it was an eerie feeling. Turning her head, she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

He began to tie it roughly, pulling her body back sharply with every pull of the string. Ava grasped onto the bed post, trying to keep herself from falling back. He was tying it tight, pulling her already small waist even smaller. Her breathing got heaver as she tried to breathe through the tightness of the corset. Finally he was done. Straightening up, she turned around. He stared down at her, watching her chest heave up and down. Her large breasts were practically breaking loose from the corset.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him. She was beyond confused as to why he was being nice to her and not ripping her to pieces.

"I have wanted to see you in something other than rags." There was a short pause before he continued to talk. "And I have decided that for the remainder of your stay here, you are going to be my, what did I call it? Play toy?" He said mockingly. Ava couldn't believe him. After all she had been through, he had the nerve to do this.

"I will do no such thing." Ava spatted back.

"No you will do everything you are told because this is your punishment. I have noticed a great deal of how much you detest me, and so I see it only fit that you be my pet with whom I can do whatever I please and have you do whatever I command." He said, moving her crimson hair away from her face. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She would have preferred any other punishment than this.

"You might as well kill me now, I won't touch a demon like you." She said glaring at him. He laughed and in response said, "Trust me my dear, I plan on it when I am through with you."

"And what will your lovely bride think of me as your new toy?"

Laughing again he stepped closer to Ava, pressing her against the bed post. "My bride will have to learn to not snap your neck in your sleep, which I can assure you is something she would most enjoy doing."

"Oh I'm sure." Ava muttered beneath her breath, remembering Aleera's conversation with her just a day ago.

Dracula smiled a cunning smile. He stepped back and sat in one of the lounge chairs in the room staring up at her. "Now then, what shall I have you do first." He tapped his fingers in front of his face, thinking of everything he could possibly do to this girl. Ava stood there, waiting for his first command.

"Ahh I know. I would enjoy a shoulder rub. Saving your ass the other day has wreaked havoc on my body." Ava looked at him with a face that made him laugh. He was enjoying this more than he had expected. Ava walked over to him and around the chair. Sighing, she placed her hands on his shoulders slowly rubbing them. Though his jacket was in the way a bit, he seemed to be enjoying it. Dracula leaned forward and took off his jacket, with only his black silk shirt as the barrier between their skins touching. Ava continued rubbing his shoulders.

"You don't have to touch me as if I may break, I am immortal." He said looking up at her. She rubbed his shoulders harder, letting out a sigh of annoyance.

"Do tell me why you left." Dracula spoke, breaking the silence.

Ava was caught off guard with his question. "I…uh…I was unhappy. You don't expect a gypsy girl to be bound within castle walls." Dracula was curious to know more.

"I don't believe I gave you a hard life here."

Ava rolled her eyes. He was oblivious of how she lived her miserable life here. Ava was growing more annoyed with him.

"I gave you food, shelter and my respect, and yet you threw it all away to be with Jean."

Ava could feel her temper rising. Dracula noticed because she was rubbing his shoulders harder than ever. "I didn't have any intentions ending up with that ass."

"Ahh. So your friend, Mello was it? He was supposed to carry you off to your happy ending?"

"Yes, Mello and I were planning on running off together. And he left me." She said under her breath.

"What do you mean he left you my dear? Didn't he love you?" Dracula asked with a smart tone.

"Yes, I thought he did, but he sold me out to Jean and joined the undead while at it." It was hard to recount what had happened.

Dracula turned around in his chair and looked up at Ava. "Poor lover boy left you to die in the hands of a vampire. Sounds like a terrible ending to a happy fairytale." He smiled at her. Ava was disgusted at his jokes.

"You know if you are going to make fun of me, you can fuck off." She said walking around the chair about to head out the door. The Count chuckled, he had never heard her use such profanity. He grabbed her by the hand and twisted her around, making her fall onto his lap. Ava squirmed, but he held her tight. He whispered in her ear, "I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. You are far too much fun to have."

Ava stopped struggling, knowing it was pointless. He smelled her luscious hair. It smelled of sweet berries. She was gorgeous beyond anything, and he had her right in his lap. He pulled down the shoulder of her dress exposing her soft and fair skin. He kissed it softly, dragging his teeth across her skin. Ava winced as he had cut her skin with his drawn fang. Blood began to pool over the fresh wound. Dracula graciously sucked on it, savoring the taste of her sweet blood. It was by far the best he had ever had. He forced himself to stop before he got too carried away. Placing a soft finger on the wound it slowly began to heal. Ava watched in amazement. She didn't know he could heal her, or anyone for that matter.

Dracula released her from his grasp and she immediately took the opportunity to get off him and stand up. Dracula got up as well, took her hand and gently kissed the top of it. He looked at her with his seductive eyes. Releasing her hand she pulled away quickly. He laughed to himself, "Good night my dear, I will see you in the tomorrow." He walked out the door and slowly closed the door.


	13. Sinful Cravings

Ava sat on the edge of her bed thinking of everything that had just unfolded. Dracula was smarter than she thought. Her being forced to be at his side and commanded to do whatever he pleased was the worst punishment he could give her and he knew it. She needed to find some way for him to either release her or finish her off as he had promised. Frustrated she fell back onto the bed. The only perk to her being his toy was that she was able to sleep in a comfortable bed and bathe anytime she pleased. She needed something to preoccupy herself with. She got up and walked to the bathroom where she had left the diary on the marble counter. She picked it up and headed to the bed, climbing into the covers. She rested against the pillows and continued reading.

_"I was attacked today by an unruly werewolf. I don't think I would have survived if my love wasn't there protecting me. Before the werewolf could bite me, my love grabbed it by the neck and snapped it in half. It was a horrific sight to see, the limp body of the wolf slowly transforming into a naked man. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly in the distance. My love saved my life and that of my unborn child. He helped me over to a chair. My child was kicking vigorously in my womb, seeming to know the danger it was just in. It's got the heart of a gypsy, just like me and its grandmother, fighting everyone and everything without a single fear in the world. I smile just thinking of my child and how powerful they will become as a person. I know the sex of my child, feeling it within my heart and soul, but I won't reveal it to anyone, not even to whoever is reading this. I shall wait until I birth the child before Peter or anyone else knows. I believe my love knows the sex of the child. It's almost as if he can read my mind and thoughts. If he could, then he would know how much I crave his touch._

_ I am due to birth my child soon, my belly is growing larger by the day. I find myself struggling to stay up on my feet. My love follows me relentlessly, shielding me from any dangers. There isn't much I can do now, but sit in the palace and wait for something to come my way. Peter has barred me from stepping outside the castle, in fear that a rebel may try to kill the heir to the throne, just as that werewolf had tried earlier. He waits by my bed when I wake up to ensure he gives me my morning breakfast. Peter has spent little time with me, taking care of my needs. He is too busy barking orders and traveling on what he calls, "business" to foreign countries. I never expected Peter to take care of me though. I am nothing more than a breeding cow, bound to give him a blood line to continue his rein. I know he is not faithful to me when he leaves me for days. But I couldn't care less, because I know there is no true love between us."_

Ava had fallen asleep to her romantic story. She had trouble putting it down, knowing that something heart wrenching was about to happen. Ava had spent the next several days being the Count's personal toy. He had her do anything from sitting in his office to keep him company, to slaving away in chores, She thought she had done chores like this before, but her body ached terribly by the time she laid herself down. He teased her and tried to seduce her on occasions, but she fought against him knowing that she wanted to kill herself than be fondled by him. She knew Aleera didn't take kindly to her and Dracula's odd relationship, and hid in her room in the castle. Ava despised him more and more. He was a ridiculous man that expected to have her bow down to him in his every need and command. Trying to cope with the situation, she often found herself making his games more difficult by taunting and making smart remarks.

Ava dozed off into a deep sleep, with the journal in her hands as she had just finished another daunting chapter of the diary. Her breathing was erratic and she wrestled with the covers in her sleep. She was having another nightmare, the same one she had for a majority of her life. She was talking in her sleep, moaning and groaning as she was reliving the nightmare. Thrashing around in the bed, Dracula watched her. Whatever this nightmare she continues to have, took a physical toll on her body. The sun had already set and the moon hung high in the sky. He walked over to her and placed his cold hand upon her head. Slowly she began to wake up. The icy coolness felt wonderful on her skin. She opened her eyes to see Dracula sitting in her bed, the back of his hand on her cheek. Ava looked at him in disgust and turned over, trying to ignore him.

Raising an eyebrow at her defiance he sat on the bed staring at the back of her head. "It's rude to not acknowledge one's presence my dear."

"And it's rude to barge into a young woman's bedroom without her permission." Ava said without missing a beat. She was quick witted, and it amused him a great deal, and yet it was highly annoying at certain times. Smiling he turned her back over onto her back so she would look at him. "Now then, it's time to get up. I'm bored and I need entertainment."

Ava sighed and placed her hand across her eyes rubbing them and replied in a annoyed tone, "Isn't that was your bride is for?" He softly laughed. He knew Aleera's blood was boiling over her being his new toy. "No my dear, Aleera is there for show. A vampire cannot be seen without a bride by his side. It wouldn't look right." He joked, yet Ava didn't find it the least bit amusing.

"Get dressed and meet me in the ballroom." He said walking away. Ava sat up on her arms trying to figure out why the ballroom. She had never been in the ballroom and it was forbidden to everyone unless there was a party. Getting up she realized she had left the diary on her bed when she fell asleep. She searched for it desperately. She hoped Dracula didn't find it, if he did he would have known she stole from him. Flipping the covers over and turning the bed practically inside out, she threw herself on the floor and looked under the bed. With a sigh of relief she reached under and pulled out the diary. It must have fallen while she was asleep. She struggled to tuck it in the back of her corset with it being so tight on her. Putting on her knee high riding boots she headed out the door.

She couldn't exactly remember where the ballroom was and spent a great deal of time searching every corridor. Finally she found it. Its tall wooden doors were intimidating to stand before. She slowly opened one door. She didn't really know what to expect when she imagined this room. It was grand by far, but it wasn't as clean and pristine as the rest of the castle. The marble floors reflected the massive lights coming from the chandeliers above her. The ceiling seemed to have no end with a massive skylight at the top, and the walls were adorned in gold. High windows were placed along the long wall, at least twenty of them.

Ava walked over to the largest painting she had ever seen. It was at the very end of the ballroom where two grand stairs went in either direction to the floors above. It towered over her, starting just a few feet from the floor and almost reaching the ceiling. She looked at the painting wondering what it was. A man in armor sat high on a horse, also decorated in armor. He was poised and elegant, and the painting captured his seductive stare. His jet black hair was tied in a low ponytail and a single gold hoop hung from his ear. In the background were bodies lying all across the ground and men fighting with swords. But what was most peculiar was that this war was happening at night, as a moon was painted high up.

"I see you are admiring my painting." A voice said from behind her. She knew it was Dracula's. She didn't bother turning around to look at him. Ava tilted her head slightly. "It's odd that the man in armor is just sitting on his horse watching all of his good men die before him." Ava turned around arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. She was attempting to throw a low blow at him. He didn't seem slightly bothered by her comment. He looked up at the picture and replied, "Or maybe he is sitting there watching all his good men slaughter those who challenged him?" He looked down at her with a look that could kill. He was mocking her, taking her snide comment a step further.

"And what is it you wanted from me Count?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I figured we both could have a little fun." With a snap of his fingers, the sound of a full orchestra played in the ballroom. Ava looked around expecting to find instruments and people playing them somewhere, but no one else was in the room. It was an eerie bit of music, haunting and full of both passion and sorrow. She had never heard this piece of music before, and wasn't sure if she enjoyed it or not. Dracula stepped up to her and put one arm around her waist and grabbed her hand with the other. He guided her across the dance floor to the music. Ava was a horrible dancer, and avoided it at all costs. She stumbled on her feet and occasionally stepped on his. She looked down at her feet trying to predict the next step.

"Look at me." He said. Ava looked up trying to focus on not tripping. "Let me lead my dear."Ava hesitated but slowly allowed herself to ease into the dance. She had never danced this number before, yet she seemed to know every step. Breaking his hand away from the small of her back, she turned and now they were both arms length from one another, barely hanging on by their fingers. He pulled her back and she twisted around to him, her back slamming against his chest. He was getting rough with the dancing. He held her both of her hands and placed them on her flat stomach. He forced her hands to follow his. Slowly both their hands moved down her sides and hips, and then back up past her chest and above their heads. He roughly forced her hand behind her back as he forced the other on her stomach. Her arm ached in the awkward position he had put it in.

He moved his one hand on her stomach to her hair where he moved it behind her neck. It was tempting to just bite her and be done with it, but playing this game was more fun. She released a heavy sigh as she felt him caress her neck. Smiling he twisted her back around, forcing her to face him. They continued to dance. "My dear, how is it you have no fear in your blood?" He asked. It was true. She was fearless in many situations and challenged anything in her path.

"I have the heart of a gypsy." She answered.

"You realize you and I have a lot more in common than you would think?" He asked, twirling her out again.

"Do tell." She asked, curious to know. He twisted her back to him and leaned her over his arm, preventing to fall on her back. She held on to both his arms. They were muscular beneath his shirt and she could feel the definition of them with her hands. "You and I are both gypsies. One of God's outcasts. We don't follow rules and are warriors at heart. The sound of violins and the sight of fire have our blood pulsing in delight."

She looked up at him, and realized she was completely vulnerable in his arms. It was only his hand preventing her from falling to the hard floor. "Those are stereotypes of any gypsy you meet. We have just as much in common as the traveling circus."

Dracula smiled and pulled her back up. "You are very right my dear. But let's make it a little more personal. You and I both have lost a lover in our lives to those we hate most. Our cunning wit gets us into more trouble than not. And…" He paused for a moment.

"And?" Ava asked.

"And we secretly desire one another, yet neither of us will ever admit it." He was smiling at her. He knew he struck a chord.

"The only way I would ever desire you is if you seduce me with one of your trances, and then I have no willpower or ability to think for myself, only you to control me." She was quick with her words. Dracula stopped dancing. He stepped right up to her and hovered over. He pulled her by her wrists close to his chest, their bodies touching. Ava was slightly out of breath from all the dancing. Bending down to her perfect face, he kissed her bottom lip. She pulled back but he just placed one of her hands behind her head and forced her back to him. It was a slow kiss, and Ava resisted, but it wasn't long before she gave in and kissed him back. His tongue parted her mouth and he took over. He was dominating her with his fiery kisses and she couldn't help but give in. Her clutched hands were beginning to relax on his chest. He moved his hand from behind her head and worked its way down to her backside. He squeezed it and she gasped. His touch was unlike anyone she had ever been with, even Mello's. The passionate kiss had slowed and Dracula pulled away.

Ava looked up and realized what had just happened. Disgusted she pushed him back. "How dare you!" He laughed, knowing full well he didn't do anything different.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"Darling, if you would listen to your heart, you would know that I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. You my dear willingly accepted what I had to offer and gave me more in return." Ava began to walk away shaking her head. She couldn't believe the lies coming from his mouth. She put her fingers to her temple trying to tell herself that he was a fool for thinking she was so easy.

She didn't even see him standing right in front of the door, blocking her way out. She ran into him. "Move." She exclaimed.

"Ask nicely and I may do so." He said with an evil grin.

"Will you move please?" She said in an annoyed, hushed tone.

He allowed her to pass by him, but he was still following her. "You cannot deny what is right in front of you." He said to her.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted at him as she stormed off towards her room. He laughed, "Ava, why are you so upset? It wouldn't be because I finally made you realize the fire within you is the lust and desire you have for me?"

Ava opened her bedroom door and slammed it shut in his face. He couldn't help but feel amused. He walked in and she was tearing her clothes off, starting with the corset. "You know you are just ruining your clothes." He said looking at her as she struggled with the corset. Searching the room, she opened drawers and rummaged in closets and was able to find a pair a scissors tucked away in the back of her dresser drawer. She took the scissors to the corset and cut it off, throwing it on the floor. Dracula stared at the perfectly wasted garment lying before him. He leaned against the wall as she turned her back and took off her shirt. He could see her entire back as she walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. He could hear water running in the bathroom. Walking to the door he listened to her. It sounded like she was in a fit of rage. "Ava, darling what in the devil's name are you doing?"

"I'm purging all my sins in this bathwater! I cannot stand the thought of your hands on me!" Dracula was beyond amused. She was acting like a guilty child caught stealing from the cookie jar. He waited outside the bathroom door, listening to her express her feelings in profanity he had never heard come from a woman's mouth. Both his arms rested on the door frame. He was going to wait here until she came out. She seemed to be in there forever, until all he heard was silence. The door suddenly swung open. Her hair was wet and she was in nothing but the skimpy robe he had given her the night before.

"Feeling better?" He asked cunningly. Ava forced herself through his arm and muttered, "Hardly."

"You know Ava, you are acting awfully guilty." Ava was drying her hair with a towel when she stopped and looked at him. "No, I am acting like a woman who was just touched by the foulest creature on this Earth and is being accused of enjoying it."

He walked over to her and stood mere inches away from her. "Admit it. You love it when I touch you." He said as he placed his hand on her hip. She smacked it away. "When I send shivers down your spine." He continued as he grabbed the hand she smacked him with, intertwining his fingers with hers. She snatched her hand away. "Or when I make your heart jump in excitement." He said with his thick sensual Transylvanian accent. He grabbed her back and forced her body to press against his. She could feel the beast in his loins press against her leg. Her breathing was heavy and he knew exactly why. He worked his free hand down the silk robe and beneath what little it covered. His cold fingers sent shivers through her entire body as he gently rubbed and caressed the delicate flower between her legs. Ava wanted to resist, but she was finding it difficult to not moan out in passion.

The expression on her face was making the beast inside him anxious with desire, wanting him to throw her on the bed and take full advantage of the fact he knew she enjoyed it. His cold fingers took her to new heights, ones she had never experienced before. He worked her masterfully, knowing exactly how to make her cry out in pleasure. He bent down and kissed her lips, and she gladly kissed him back, more passionate than before in the ballroom.

He removed his fingers from beneath her robe, growing tired of it being in the way. Ava opened her eyes and could see the animal inside him begin to spew out. He ripped the robe off and she stood naked before him trying to catch her breath. He turned her around having her lean over the bed. Without hesitation, he shoved his fingers deep inside her and she gasped in both shock and passion. One hand was placed on her hip clenching her soft skin with his cold fingers. His nails dug into her, causing little streams of blood to ooze down her side. He used her as a post to mount himself as he worked his fingers in and out. With teasing and toying he managed to already make her to scream several times in climax. Her cries out into the night were setting his blood on fire. He knew he would make a lasting memory out of this night, and he wanted her to never forget the first time she succumbed to him in a true passion, and not under a vampire's tricks.

He roughly handled her, her breathing hard and heavy in response. He was practically purring knowing how much he was pleasuring her, and he had yet to even unveil the beast between his legs. With every climax, her body practically shook, her stomach quivering and her moans long and sinful. He slapped her ass, admiring the perfect shape it was in. She was more beautiful than ever, soft yet strong. He turned her back around facing him and she had a fire behind her eyes. He had never seen her so alive in passion and fury before now. He pushed her back as she fell to the bed. He pushed her knees up and admired the perfect flower in front of him. Leaning over her, he could feel her hot breath dance across his skin. "You will be mine." He whispered just before he shoved his fingers back inside her. Ava didn't care that he had muttered those words to her, she just wanted him to take her somewhere she had never been, and so far he was doing just that.

They kissed passionately, his tongue invading her mouth and exploring every inch. His free hand squeezed and caressed her perfectly shaped breast, playing with her nipple between his thumb and finger. Moving from her face, he pushed her knees apart and he began to lick and caress her with his icy tongue. She was shivering as he was toying with her. His fingers slipped in and out as his tongue circled and manipulated the bundle of nerves between her legs. She was grabbing the sheets, trying to brace herself with another climax. She had lost count how many times he made her orgasm or how long he had been seducing her, but each one was stronger and more pleasurable than before. With a final scream of passion, she laid there trembling. He removed his fingers and moved his lips to her own. He kissed her bottom lip as she tried to catch her breath. He still massaged the flower, giving her little time to recover. Not caring how her legs felt like jello, Dracula pulled her to stand up.

Twisting her around he grabbed her hair and pulled her up against his chest. He kissed her delicate skin, wrapping his arm around her waist, the other playing with her swollen breast. Her hands were wildly scratching his clothing, with one on his arm and the other placed behind his head, digging her nails into his skin. He suddenly bit her shoulder and she cried out in pain. But oddly it felt exhilarating, sending adrenalin through her blood. He savored her blood as it poured into his mouth. This was part of his reward, being able to taste the blood of an angel. He retracted his fangs and he practically held her up as her body quivered, recovering from the most intense sexual pleasure she had ever experienced. He kissed her fresh bite marks, healing them until they no longer were visible.

He turned her around naked and exposed looking down at her. He grabbed her chin and kissed her soft lips. "Now am I still the foulest creature to roam the Earth?" She could no longer deny it. What he had just done to her now and how much she enjoyed every bit of it only proved that she did desire him. She wanted more from him, she wanted him to release himself and prove his manhood in every way possible. He smiled knowing he had just won this game. But he wanted to tease her more, have her crave his touch, beg for it again. He straightened his hair and left the room without saying another word to her. She stood there craving more of what he had to offer. She lay down on the bed, naked and weak and remembering every detail of what had just happened.


	14. Making Enemies

Ava couldn't believe the immense pleasure she had just experienced. She had never felt her body release into ecstasy like that before. Her stomach was still pulsing as she lay down. She was completely out of breath and her legs shook when she stood up. Naked on the bed, she thought to herself. Why is it she despised him? And why didn't she fight him off like all the other times before? She would have never predicted her being in this position months ago when she arrived at the castle, even just a week ago she would have never thought. She was confused with herself and her intentions in life. She hated him immensely, yet she craved him to dominate her again and again. Was it merely the sex she wanted? Or was it the beast within him that she desired as well. So many questions, yet she had no answers to any of them.

She mustered up the strength to get on her feet and get dressed. She put on her blouse and pants, but her corset was still in pieces on the floor. She searched the closet to find anything else to wear. She managed to find another corset, one of lesser quality than the one before. She thanked God when she noticed it laced in the front. Completely dressed she decided to walk to the kitchen and attempt to avoid any of the other servant girls. If they had known what just happened, the rumors of the Count and her would be true to a certain extent.

She darted across the hall and down stairs to the kitchen. She pressed her back to the wall and listened for anyone. She didn't hear anything. Peering her head around, she saw no one. She ran to the table where a loaf of bread was. She ripped off a piece and grabbed an orange. She rushed eating the bread, hoping no one would find her there. But with her luck, Aleera walked in screaming. "MELISSA!" She looked around only to find Ava standing there, like a deer caught grazing by a hunter. She slowly chewed her bread while looking at Aleera.

"Oh it's you." She said under her breath. Ava didn't respond back to her, it was an incredibly awkward position she was in. Aleera walked over to her to get a better look. She noticed the new clothes and boots. Her hair was washed and cleaned from dirt. "You my dear look as if you have been enjoying yourself." She said, crossing her arms staring at her with hate and anger.

"Being one's slave is hardly enjoyable." Ava said.

"And I take it you are serving the Counts…every…need?" She asked emphasizing part of the sentence.

"Regretfully I have been scrubbing floors and slaving away at other meaningless tasks." Ava said, showing no fear towards Aleera. Aleera hated every fiber of her being knowing that her Master spent more time with Ava than with his bride. It irked her to the core. Aleera stood there and licked the edge of her teeth, thinking of all the possible ways she could end this girl's life. Ava continued to eat her bread, as if they were having a decent conversation.

"You are awfully cocky for being in the presence of a vampire." Aleera sneered.

"Maybe it's because the only threat you pose is that of a fish." Ava wasn't going to let Aleera take over her. Aleera tilted her head and smiled at her.

"Just remember my dear….dear….child, there's always a bigger fish to eat the smaller ones." Ava smiled back at her. Beating each other with hushed words was amusing in some aspects. Aleera took a deep breath and sighed a dramatic sigh and began to walk away. "Never the less, I need plan our upcoming ball. You never know who may be on the guest list." She turned around at the door way and spoke one last time. "And sweetie." She said with a pause. Ava raised her eyebrows, wondering what else she had to say. "I was an innocent servant girl like yourself before he seduced me and turned me into one of his own. I can smell him all over you." Aleera looked her up and down, with a look of judgment. "There will always be another servant girl to seduce, you just happen to be at the front of the line."

Aleera walked out, leaving Ava in almost a state of shock. She hadn't known she could smell him on her, and if she did she would have made sure she bathed again. The secret she withheld about her and Dracula was now out and in the open. Aleera was just as quick witted when it came to playing mind games. Ava knew she was someone to look out for.

Ava finished her meal and headed to the library. She hadn't seen the Count since their encounter earlier, and was pleased to know she had time to herself. She opened the door to the massive array of books and sat on a sofa. She pulled the diary out of her pocket and began to read.

"_ The gods have shined light into my dark world. The child that was once inside my womb is now gently cradled in my arms. I look down at her and think of all the heart break she is going to cause. She is gorgeous beyond anything I have ever seen. She has hair like mine and eyes like her grandmother. They can pierce through your soul. I love her dearly, yet Peter seems to want nothing of her. He is cursing God for not giving him a true heir. A woman can't lead an Empire in his eyes. The look on his face when the birthing mother revealed her to him was not what I was expecting. I had hoped he would embrace the child, boy or not, but I was deeply wrong. He won't touch her or look at her. He has yet to hold her even. _

_My love has mysteriously disappeared during my time of need. Peter says he was sent off to fight the Russian civil war. I can only hope he comes home unscathed. I worry for his safety, knowing he is high in command of the army. It seems like there is always someone or something attempting to end his life. But he has managed to never be horribly wounded. Taking his place of my protector, Peter has allowed the second in command to watch my every move. I cannot say that I feel comfortable around him. He looks at me with lust and desire, seeming to want to take me to the back room and do what he pleases. I avoid his presence whenever I can. I don't trust him with me, my daughter, or with the Russian army Peter has built. He too is like Peter. He thinks nothing but power and inflicting pain on those who dishonor him. He and Peter have grown too close to my comfort. I see them constantly looking at maps, planning their next conquer. I can only imagine what they plan on doing in the future. With them two together, I fear that none of us will make it out alive."_

Ava closed the book trying to imagine what would happen next. She hoped the woman would end up in the arms of her true love, but with all the war and dictatorship in the woman's writings, she didn't expect much. She didn't realize how late it was, until she heard the tall grandfather clock chime. Placing the diary back in her pocket, she walked back to her room. She closed the door behind her and began stripping her clothes off, and putting on a night gown. It was lace and practically see through, but it covered just enough so it didn't appear as if she were throwing herself to whoever saw her in it. She climbed into bed and dozed into a deep sleep, forgetting about him, and how she desperately wanted him to touch her again.

(Transition)

"How do you expect me to survive off this repulsive blood?" He said throwing the goblet of blood at her. She held up her arms and felt the warm blood cover her body, her face and her hair. She was beyond disgusted. The goblet rolled on the floor creating an ear shattering noise. It was all over her hands and Ava wanted to vomit everywhere. She shook the blood off her hands and looked at him. He stared back in anger. Ava bent down, still glaring at him and picked up the goblet and walked out the door muttering "ass" on the way out. Ava had spent the time and effort in preparing his meal, and this is how he repays her. She walked to the cellar where all the blood was stored in. She chose another bottle, hoping it would be better than the last. Walking to the kitchen she slowly warmed the blood by the fire. As she let it sit, she got up and looked for a rag to wipe the disgusting display off her body. Luckily her hair didn't get most of it, but her chest and face got the worst. He clothes were definitely ruined, seeing there was no way of getting the blood stains out of her once white blouse.

"Well if that isn't a sight to see." Came a familiar voice. Ava had been trying hard to avoid them since she arrived back at the castle. Turning around Melissa stood at the doorway with a rag and a bucket of water. A couple other servant girls stood behind her, sweaty and covered in dirt. Setting the bucket down, Melissa watched Ava glare at her. Ava continued to wipe her face, trying to ignore the other girl's whispers. "How have you been these days Ava? We haven't seen you since you ran away with that boy." Melissa asked. Ava pursed her lips in annoyance. "As you can see I have been busy being humiliated in front of you fine ladies."

Melissa continued to stare at Ava. "And how is it that you live the life of luxury now, while the rest of us work our ways to our death beds." Ava threw the rag on the table and walked over to Melissa. The rest of the girls quickly got behind Melissa, as if they were all ready to fight. "Trust me, this is a far cry of luxury. I would gladly step back in your shoes if you will be the Count's whipping girl." Melissa wasn't the slightest bit tempted in the offer. Ava figured she knew that it wasn't as nice as she was making it seem to the others. They stared at one another before Melissa ushered the girls out of the kitchen.

"Keep your eyes open. Rumor has it you made a few enemies." Melissa said walking away.

"Rumor has it you are not very good with rumors." Ava said under her breath.

(Transition)

Ava sat in the study with the Count at his desk writing for what seemed like hours. Ava was bored sitting there doing nothing, but he had insisted she keep him company. She had a book in her hand, pretending to read but her mind was wandering with one thought after another. At this point she was thinking of how he had taken over her in her bedroom just a few nights ago. As much as she wanted to convince herself that it meant nothing, she still was curious of what else he could do to her. She remembered the unbelievable pleasure she endured with him and how she was left practically crippled in her bed. She wanted desperately for him to ravage her again.

Dracula looked up from his parchment and glanced at Ava smiling. Her mind was wandering in dangerous territory. Little did she know that he was reading her every thought. He could hear her pulse slowly quicken as she was going through every moment of what happened that night. He knew she would never openly admit to wanting his hands all over her body, but she thought of it often. He himself was getting excited knowing she craved him.

"Darling!" Aleera said, storming in the room. Dracula sighed and looked at her. "Yes my dear?" Aleera walked over to him. Ava barely paid any notice to Aleera. She continued to stare at the open page not registering a single word written in it. She listened to Aleera and Dracula's conversation, but acted like she wasn't paying attention.

"I have prepared everything for the ball this upcoming full moon." Dracula sat back in his chair looking at her. "You've sent out the invitations?" He asked with his hands gracefully locked together on his lap.

"Yes, I invited everyone who has possibly crossed our paths. The orchestra and the entertainment are expected to arrive that morning and there will be a line of humans to feed our guests." She smiled at the last part of her sentence. Dracula smiled back. It had sounded like she had managed to prepare everything by herself. "I don't want to feed off of peasants." He said making sure Aleera remembered his taste in blood. "Darling I have gathered the finest girls from brothels all around Europe to feed off of. It will be a bloodbath of whores, just as you like it." She bent down to him and kissed him softly. Teasing him she bit his lip, drawing blood. He purred as she began to play with him.

"It sounds as though you have both my needs and your needs covered." He whispered as she kissed his neck, allowing her hands to wander down his jacket and to his pants. It had been a long time since she felt Dracula respond to her sexual tension. Ava was feeling disgusted sitting in the same room as they fondled one another. She could hear their wet kisses cover each other's exposed skin. Ava grew tired of their growling and moaning, she got up and began to walk away. Dracula noticed her leaving. "Ava." He said as Aleera continued to devour his neck. Ava turned around. "Do close the door on your way out." He said smiling, knowing this was tearing her apart inside. Rolling her eyes she walked out the door, slamming it on her way out.

The sounds of animals shrieking in the night filled her ears. Ava couldn't believe that he would cast her away like that, without a second thought. Ava shook her head realizing she had become jealous over Aleera. She couldn't believe that she was actually upset over this beast. It made no sense to her, no matter how many times she asked herself why, she never understood how she had developed such feelings over him. Nonsense was what it was, but it still confused her in every way possible. Walking briskly to her room, she slammed the door behind her and threw herself on her bed in frustration. She laid there with her head on her pillow fuming over the situation. Thinking of nothing else to do, she grabbed the diary she had kept near and dear to her and began to read another chapter, hoping she could begin to relax. She felt like a little kid, unable to control her anger and throwing somewhat of a fit. She sat there and tried to remind herself that she was nearly twenty now, and her acting like a child wasn't suitable. Pursing her lips, she flipped the next page of the diary getting lost in the words of a woman whom she admired since she first opened the book.

* * *

**Hey there! Just wanted to thank everyone for the great reviews, I love getting them so keep it up :) And also as a side note, I revamped the 1st chapter and made a couple slight changes, so you probably want to go back and read it. **

**Thanks!**

**LC**


	15. Conversations with Death

"You imbecile! How could you be so ignorant to the fact that the theme of this ball is green and black? Not this vile color!" Aleera screamed at one of the local men delivering the curtains for the upcoming gala. The older man seemed to shrivel as she spat words at him. He held in his hands a somewhat off shade of green fabric in his hands. She threw the rest of the fabric at him and walked away in disgust but before disappearing completely, "You have until the moon rises to get me the right fabric or I shall snap your neck in two." She warned him.

Ava stood off to the side of this apparent scene helping Aleera set up the decorations and such as ordered by the Count. Neither Aleera nor her seemed pleased with his command, but didn't complain much not wanting to start a riff. There was a hustle of peasants and businessmen trying to arrange everything perfectly to Aleera's liking. She was the coordinator of this event, and Ava could see the amount of stress she was feeling just by the number of threats being thrown across the room. Aleera noticed Ava staring at her, "Is something amusing you?" She sneered.

"No." Ava was quick to answer. She wanted this whole event to be over with. She had no interest in the party, the dancing, the guests intending to arrive or the bloodbath of whores expected to arrive as Aleera so kindly mentioned in front of Ava. It was slowing coming along. The once less pristine room was now spotless like the rest of the castle. The marble floors practically showed your reflection when you looked down, the windows and skylight seemed to have no glass in them they were perfectly cleaned. Dark emerald green rugs went down both staircases at the end of the ballroom, and black satin ribbon had been decorated throughout that room and the halls of the castle. Green and black candles adorned the castle, fitting perfectly with the theme.

Aleera couldn't stand the girl in the first place, let alone know that the Count wanted her to work with the brat as well. She didn't want to upset the Count in any way. He had paid more attention to her recently in the last week than he had the entire time Ava had been living at the castle. She huffed at Ava and walked away demanding more orders from the men and women slaving away at her decorations. "Feisty one isn't she?" Said a peasant woman with a thick Romanian accent. She was cleaning the champagne glasses with a rag. Ava chuckled to herself. With a cocked eyebrow she shook her head in agreement. The woman laughed as well. Finally a little light hearted humor she thought to herself. Ava walked away trying to help whoever she could.

(Transition)

" _My darling child grows stronger every day. She has the heart of a true gypsy. She always seems to be getting into trouble whenever I am not looking. I found her just the other day stealing a fresh loaf of bread from the kitchen that the cook had just baked. He didn't seem to mind her too much, even though she was up to mischief. Everyone in the castle adores her, except for Peter. He barely talks to the child, let alone look at her. He cannot seem to stand the sight of her. But she and I have both accustomed to that sad fact within our family. Peter recently in the last several months has been trying desperately to conceive again. He believes in his heart that the next child will be a boy. I hope and pray it may be, but with my daughter running around rampant and rambunctious in the palace I can hardly fathom a boy. Peter has made it clear though that if I do not birth him a boy, there will be dire consequences for both me and the child. I don't take these threats lightly, because I know Peter doesn't have a heart within his chest. He would gladly kick a puppy to the streets if it became inconvenient to care for it._

_My darling has sporadically come and go in my life. He rarely shows himself to me. With the war continuing to rage outside our walls of security, he is often out fighting for Peter and our safety. I miss him dearly, but know that he will come back to me one way or another. I spend more time with the second in command that that of Peter or my love. He is a slimy man with no good intentions with the world as I can assume. He has openly stated the lack of morals he has with killing a man with no real reason. With him as my protection, I find myself less safe than before. At least I knew with my darling love that he truly was protecting me from harm, where this man is simply there trying to have his way with me and Peter. I am not nearly as much of a fool as my husband, but there isn't a thing I can do about my feelings. _

_The second in command often asks me what I think of my darling love, as if he were trying to pry his way into my world. I try to not give him a reason to think there are feelings between him and I, but I find it hard to not drift off into a daydream of what we could be. I don't know how well I hide my emotions, he always looks at me as if he knows our secret. I pray to the Lord that he no nothing, but he seems to have immortal capabilities that penetrate my soul. As long as I never openly admit how I truly feel, he shall never know. It isn't like we have done anything though, we just look at one another with desire, but never have we gone past that point. I hope there is nothing to fear."_

Ava lay in her bed, trying to escape from everyone in the castle. The party was tonight and she knew she wasn't doing her share of helping as the Count had ordered. She managed to sneak out of the ballroom going unnoticed. With zero interest in his request, she knew the only way to somewhat enjoy this day was to read the harrowing tale of the woman in this diary. A knock came at her door. Huffing to herself, she ignored it. She quickly slipped the book beneath her pillow, "Come in" she finally replied. The door opened slowly and the Count walked in. Ava rolled her eyes. He was the last person she wanted to have walk through the door.

"I see you are doing a lovely job in helping." He said as he stood at the end of her bed with his hands graciously behind his back.

"Aleera seems to have it under control." Ava responded coolly.

Smiling to himself, he walked over to her side of the bed and sat down next to her. "Do you find pleasure in disobeying my orders?" He said with a cocked eyebrow and a grin to kill.

"I find it even more pleasurable to know it makes your blood boil." Ava said smiling back at him. He laughed and slowly placed his hands either side of her so that he was practically hovering. Ava was vulnerable with him trapping her beneath his body. She continued to keep a straight and serious face as they looked directly into each other's eyes.

"Really now, tell me how you truly feel." He said sarcastically. Ava was beginning to remember the night of passion they had not too long ago. She wanted him to take over her again, it was the perfect time.

"What do you want me to do Ava darling?"

Ava couldn't believe his question. It had completely caught her off guard and she couldn't find any words to responds. "Do you want me to kiss you?" He said under his breath as he slowly placed his cold lips upon hers. Ava hesitated at first, but gladly accepted him. A long a sinful kiss erupted between them.

He pulled back slightly. "Do you want me to touch you how a woman should be touched?" He said with his thick accent. Ava's breathing quickened as he began to caress her body, cupping her full breasts in his large hands. He closed the gap between their lips and he continued to explore her mouth with his tongue. Pulling back again he began to kiss her cheek, working his way down her neck.

"Do you want me to ravage you like a wild beast?" He said with a low growl escaping his lips. His fangs were gently brushing across her heaving chest. She didn't care any longer of their past and her hatred towards him. She just wanted him to stop the teasing and fill her with his manhood. She was grabbing his shoulders and kissing him back as she enjoyed his touches. Thinking he was going to take the opportunity to steal her away, he pulled back to look at her. The two strands of hair in his face were hanging delicately over her. She didn't want him to stop. She lifted her head to kiss him, but he pulled away just enough so she didn't reach. Frustrated she put her head back on the pillow and huffed.

"I too know how to find pleasure in teasing one's desires." He said smiling. He got up and walked to her closet. Ava couldn't believe he would leave her in the state of her graciously willing to throw herself at him. She slipped her elbows beneath her, propping herself up. She was still breathing slightly hard.

"You will be joining the party tonight my dear, I have already had a dress delivered to the castle." He said as he came out with a gorgeous dress in his hands. It was gold, green, and black with hints of lace perfectly sew into the dress. The corset was gold, with gold lace adorning the fabric giving it dimension. It was a deep v-neck shape with perfectly draped black lace quarter sleeves and emerald green bottom with hints of gold shimmer. It was the most elegant dress she had ever seen, let alone be able to wear. Ava got up to feel the soft fabric within her fingers. She was in astonishment that they could make a dress this gorgeous.

He was smiling knowing that he had picked the perfect dress for her. He set the dress down on the bed, and had her turn around so her back was facing him. She was confused as to what he was going to do. She realized his intentions as she felt him unlace her corset. She was slowly beginning to feel relief as he released the tension of the corset that practically suffocated her. He began to kiss her neck, sensing her heartbeat quicken. She suddenly felt her corset drop to the ground. He smiled to himself know how much he was teasing her. Kissing her one last time he moved from behind her and towards her door. "I will send someone to help you dress." He smiled at her. She stood there wishing he had done more. With the door closing, she began to undress.

(Transition)

Ava's heart was beating hard against her chest. The large oak doors were drawing closer to her as she slowly made her way to the ballroom. Two men, dressed for the occasion stood by each door waiting for her. She could faintly hear the music in the hallway, but the footsteps of her heels were louder.

Reaching the entrance, the two men bowed their heads as they opened the door to the ballroom. The music quickly escaped out the doors, showering Ava's ears. Laughter and talk could be heard as the guests were fully enjoying themselves at the party. No one seemed to notice Ava standing there, but she wanted it that way. Walking through the doors she made her way past the crowd. She didn't really know where to go, she knew absolutely no one. There were crowds of people dancing in the middle of the room, while others stood by and watched.

Ava managed to get to the front of the ballroom only to find a separate crowd of people all huddled around. Curious beyond anything, she pushed her way through to find the most disgusting display she could have ever seen. Five or six young beautiful girls lay strewn across large loveseats wearing barely anything. They had lace underwear that was practically see through. They were covered in gold jewelry, some had small chain belts, ankle bracelets, necklaces and some even weaved into their hair. They didn't even have anything to cover their chest, they were bare and completely exposed. Both men and women vampires flocked around these gorgeous girls, each taking turns at having a taste. The girls were moaning as the vampires sucked them dry, trying to please them.

Ava couldn't help but stand there mortified, her mouth hung open as she watched the girls throw themselves at these demons. Ava looked at each couch, and coming across the last thing she wanted to see. The Count had a young girl, with long dark chestnut hair cascading down her back sitting on his lap. Her wrist was held up to his mouth and he sucked feverishly as if he had gone hungry for weeks. She was kissing him, biting his earlobe. She whispered in his ear, and Ava could only imagine what vulgar words were slipping past her lips.

The young girl noticed Ava staring at her. They looked each other up and down for a moment, before the girl whispered in his ear again. Dracula noticed Ava standing there and slowly stopped. He could felt as though time had stood still. Ava was more gorgeous than ever before. Her hair was so delicately pinned up with soft waves falling on her face, and the dress hugged her every curve perfectly. He could see how the deep v-neck dress accentuated her full cleavage. But even through her look of horror and disgust, he still found her to be the most angelic thing to ever come into his life. He grinned, ear to ear as he kissed the slaves wrist, instantly healing her. The girl looked as though she wanted to jump right in bed with him, but he got up leaving her disappointed.

"Ava my dear, so glad you could join us." He said as he walked over to her. He was wearing black pants and a black silk shirt with a dark emerald green cape down his back. All the other feeding vampires looked up, but didn't take too much notice of her. They soon continued their feast. Ava stared at him with anger.

"Now, don't tell me you're jealous." He said with a cunning smile.

Ava's eyes squinted slightly before she responded. "I think the proper word you're looking for is disgusted."

He couldn't help but laugh at her comment. He led her away from the crowd and to the dance floor. Before she could do anything, he grabbed her and began to dance. The last thing she wanted him to do was touch her after bearing witness to what just happened. She had improved on her dancing, but he still took the lead.

"You look radiant tonight." He said as he spun her out arms length. He was trying to get her to forget what she saw, but she wasn't making it easy.

"If I had my way, I wouldn't be here." She said as he twirled her back into his arms.

"And why is that? Don't you want to socialize and have a good time?" He said.

"Yes, a mortal socializing with vampires on what the weather is like sounds like quite the invitation to a great friendship." Her sarcasm was harsh, but still funny.

"If you haven't noticed, none of them have bothered you. And they know not to touch you without my permission." He said trying to calm her down.

"So is that what I am? An object? I would hate for you to have to share me with another." Ava was beyond annoyed at this point. She just wanted to leave and not be bothered with anyone here.

"You my dear are a prisoner, my prisoner who will serve my every need, want and desire as I see fit. You should know this by now." He said with a mocking tone. They both knew he was right, that was all Ava was doing. Ava was silent as they danced. He could sense her jealousy intensify.

"Did I strike a chord with you?" He asked, breaking the silence. Ava was about to speak but Dracula suddenly stopped dancing and he stared at what was behind her. His face had suddenly turned cold in emotion and she could sense his anger rising. Ava confused turned around to be equally as shocked. In a green and black French military jacket with gold pants stood the last person either of them wanted to see. Jean looked more elegant that before and stood there with his hands together in front of him as if he were waiting for Dracula to notice his presence.

"Well it has been quite some time my dear friend." Jean said trying to lighten the mood. Ava couldn't help but feel caught in the middle.

"What brings you to this party Jean?" Dracula asked sternly.

"I was invited by your lovely bride. I wouldn't have dared showed my face here, but she begged me to come and rekindle our friendship."

Dracula looked slightly confused. He didn't know if Aleera had ill intentions of them meeting like this. "I see my bride has kept busy with going behind my back."

"Vlad I just want my friend back. Are we going to let a little scuffle between us ruin centuries of friendship? Can we call this a truce?" He held out his hand. Ava stepped back to Dracula, almost as if she were trying to shield herself. He stared at his old friend's hand for a few moments before giving a firm but cautious handshake. He looked up with a cocky smile, "Truce".

Ava didn't want to be in the middle any longer. She turned her heel and left the dance floor. She couldn't believe the Count was ready to call that monster a friend again. After all he did to her, and to him she couldn't imagine this ending on a good note. Before she could exit the dance floor entirely, she had a cold hand pull her back and force her into his arms and begin to dance. Thinking she couldn't have been more shocked, her heart suddenly stopped seeing who the person that had grabbed her was.

"Hello Ava." Mello smiled as he danced with her, holding her close to his cold body. He was in similar attire as Jean, just slightly different in design. Ava suddenly became furious and pushed herself out of his arms. He grabbed her quickly and forced her to dance. She didn't want to cause a scene, and found the strength for him to lead her in a fast paced dance.

"I see you haven't changed." She said glaring at him.

"Ava you have such harsh feelings for me now. If you could just understand then maybe you would hate me less." She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"I understand that you basically handed me to a monster in order to become one." She sneered.

"If you would give me a chance to explain what my intentions were…"

Ava cut him off. "Trust me I'm listening. I want to know your good hearted intentions that are nowhere near to being considered selfish."

He took a breath before replying. "I was broke, had gotten myself in more debt than you or anyone else could imagine. Ava you don't understand the number of people that wanted me dead, mortal or not."

"That's not my fault you did that to yourself." She said coldly.

"No it isn't. It is my fault entirely. Jean proposed I become a vampire and serve under him and I would be ensured protection and debt free if I sacrificed the one thing I loved more than anything." He stopped dancing to caress her face and move stray strands of hair away from her emerald eyes. She turned her head looking the other direction, rejecting his touch.

"If I had known he was going to do what he did to you, I would have gladly died to save you from heartache. I did this with the intention that I would find some way to make you believe this was out of love. I would have been dead if I hadn't partnered with Jean."

"And you are now the living dead, so somehow the deal didn't work out as planned." Ava looked at him with no emotion but hate.

"He offered me a lifetime of protection to keep me alive as I am now. I did this so I could ensure that I would be by your side to hold and love you if you would let me. I didn't want to leave you alone in this cruel world." His charm was easing her anger.

"I feel like I lost the only man I have ever loved, and you ripped yourself away from me like it was nothing." She was more open to talking now.

"But you didn't lose me, I am standing right here." He said with a soft voice. Ava felt herself melting with his words. His charm was undeniable, and it may have improved since becoming a vampire. He slowly bent down to her and lifted her chin slightly with his hand, ushering her to accept his kiss. She hesitated, but soon felt his soft lips place themselves on hers. Ava immediately remembered their times together growing up, and the intimacy they shared just before he turned into a vampire. Somehow he was able to make her forget all her anger as she gladly allowed him to embrace her in his arms.


	16. To Have No Heart

"I see you keep her on a long leash." Jean chuckled as he watched Vlad stare at the scene just across from them. Ava was in a long and passionate kiss with Mello, the man who had traded her in for security to his own life. He couldn't help but feel pure anger course through his veins. He couldn't imagine her being so naïve, but she was only 30 feet away kissing the person who betrayed her most right in front of him. Jean was finding pure amusement in Dracula's reaction.

"I wouldn't fret Vlad, we both know she will come to you by the end of the night." Jean was doing a poor job in trying to console his friend. Dracula was trying his best to ignore him, but his words were seeping into his skin. They had finally broken their kiss, and he was speaking to her as he caressed her face.

"Excuse me for a moment, I have so business to attend to." Dracula said as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Darling! Where are you going?" Aleera came from nowhere. She stepped in front of him trying to block him. She had a glass full of blood in her hand and she looked as though she were thoroughly enjoying herself at her own party. She couldn't help but notice his face, and the anger plastered on it.

"What is it Master?" She tried to talk to him, but he just stood there staring at Ava continuing to talk to Mello. His hands were exploring her dress in intimate ways. Aleera looked behind her shoulder and saw the two of them.

"Don't mind them dear. She is just another whore to throw away. She is practically throwing herself at him." That was the very last thing he wanted to hear. He shoved past her, knocking the glass out of her hand. It shattered to the floor with blood going everywhere. She quickly ran after him but was too late and already found Dracula standing there talking to Ava and Mello.

Ava looked up and saw Dracula glaring at the two of them. Mello stood his ground and didn't cower in the slightest. Aleera wasn't far off his trail. "I see you have found your long time friend." He said coldly, looking directly at Mello.

"Yes I was just explaining the situation and the unfortunate events that happened because of me." Mello's cold red eyes were trying to sooth Dracula's anger.

"Yes I guess there is always an excuse to throw away those you love." He said, pausing for a moment. "Or once loved." He said looking at Ava. She could feel the tension between everyone.

Aleera chimed in. "Is that you boy?" She seemed somewhat surprised and excited. Mello looked at her not amused in the slightest.

"I must say, you look quite ravishing now that you are one of us." She seemed to look at him in a different light. No longer did she look at him as a tasty meal, but rather than someone she would love to jump in bed with. Dracula was ignoring her comments, he quickly cut in.

"Do tell me how it feels to have no heartbeat, no soul, or any ability to be human again." He said stepping up to Mello.

Mello straightened his posture and calmly replied. "I must admit it is quite different. But I am willing to sacrifice anything for love."

"And what is this love you speak of. From my understanding if you have no heart, you share no love." Dracula was trying to intimidate the boy. Aleera was watching them glare at one another, occasionally looking at Ava. Ava wanted this arguing to stop, but she didn't have a place in two vampire's brawls.

"I must be unique then Count. I do have the ability to love someone, just as I sacrificed my life for love. Love is an emotion that I will never lose whether I am living or dead."

Ava couldn't understand what Mello was talking about. He had sold her out and put her in such danger that her life would have been at stake, yet he explained it was out of love. It was a twisted love, one she didn't understand. Maybe he really had sacrificed himself for their bond, but it was still making her feel uneasy.

"I will suggest you stay out of Ava's life if you wish to continue to live." Dracula was beginning to threaten Mello, but Jean suddenly appeared and put his hands on Mello's shoulders trying to sooth him.

"Vlad, must we argue now? There is a wonderful party surrounding us yet you want to threaten this poor boy." Dracula still continued to stare at Mello.

An awkward moment fell between them before the silence was broken. "I feel its best that Mello and I leave. I will talk to you more on a later note Vlad." Jean said.

"My dear." He said as he kissed Aleera's hand and did the same with Ava's.

Mello turned around to face Ava and kissed her hand, "Until next time." He said softly. Aleera, Dracula and Ava watched them walk out the large wooden doors.

"Darling we should dance." Aleera cooed in his ear. He shrugged her off and looked at Ava.

"I am not quite in the mood for dancing now." He said as he began to walk off. Aleera stood there angered at his rejection. She shifted her attention to Ava who was also watching him walk away. Stepping up to her she pointed her finger close to Ava's face.

"If I so ever get the opportunity to rip you in half I shall do it." Aleera had enough with Vlad sacrificing his time, love and energy for Ava and not her. Before Ava could make a smart comment, Aleera had already stormed off.

Ava was left standing in the middle of the dance floor. She immediately turned her heal to run after Dracula who was already out in the hallway. He was walking briskly down the corridor, and Ava found it hard to run in her heels. Getting frustrated she stopped, bent down and took her heels off. She now had the ability to run like a horse if she chose to.

'_slow down dammit.'_ She said to herself. He was already headed up the stairs and even running Ava found it hard to keep up with him. She knew he was headed to his room. She finally got up to his room where she found him throwing things at the stone wall. Glass was shattering in every direction. She was out of breath but found the ability to yell at him.

Closing the door she began to get frustrated with him. "Will you calm down dammit!" He stopped immediately and looked at her.

"I don't take orders from a slave." He sneered as he continued to act out his anger.

"Well then you can go ahead and break every possession you have because God forbid you are angry." She was getting smart with him. He was in no mood for anyone stepping up to him.

"I am beyond the point of anger Ava!" He said looking at her. "I want to tear living things to shreds. I want to end the world by opening the gates of hell, that is how angry I am!"

"Over what? A silly kiss?" She didn't understand why Mello and her kissing were making him so angry. He was more than willing to practically have sex with Aleera in front of her but she never once said anything. He growled and immediately was in her face.

"That boy nearly cost you your life, and you are so willing to take him back." He said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, he did nearly cost me my life, but I don't want him back. He was only explaining what happened!" She was starting to get annoyed. "And what does my life matter, you are going to end it whenever you are through with me!"

Dracula clamped his jaw shut in annoyance. Putting his finger in her face, he angrily muttered. "You are so close to death my dear."

They stared at one another in anger, before Ava realized something.

"Now you're the one who is jealous." She said under her breath. His eyes looked as though they were about to bulge out of his head. "It's true then. You have been infatuated with me this entire time." She was slowly realizing everything between them. All this tension, all this fighting and anger was all out of the fact that they both were in love with one another. She just thought by the way he treated her was because she truly was a prisoner and nothing more. Just a play toy.

"You drive me to insanity Ava, that's how much I love you!" He could feel her hot breath over his face, she was breathing heavy from anger.

They continued to stare at one another until Ava uttered the most unimaginable words he could think of.

"Kiss me."

He was shocked at her request but it didn't take much hesitation for him to embrace her in his arms and kiss her feverishly. Their kisses were hot and heavy, like wild beasts. They both had never felt more passionate in their movements towards one another. Her back was pressed hard against the door, her hands wandering up and down his muscular arms. He moved his hands to his cape and untied it as it dropped to the floor. Ava was finding it harder to breath in the constricting dress, and he seemed to know before Ava made the move to untie it.

Without hesitation, he took the dress by either side of the v-neck and ripped it in half. Ava felt slightly disappointed that the gorgeous dress was ruined, but didn't care seconds later. She stood there practically naked, her chest was bare, and sensual lace panties covered her down below. She had the most perfect body. Her breasts were full and were pressed gently on his chest as she pulled his shirt above his head revealing his chest.

She had never seen him this exposed. His pale skin was intoxicating to look at. It seemed to define every ripped muscle in his body. He had bulky broad shoulders and a chiseled chest to show how strong he was. Ava admired how toned he looked, but he quickly pushed her back on the door. They kissed exploring each other's mouths as he lifted her up. She gladly wrapped her slender legs around his waist. He moved his kisses down to her chest where he gently teased her. Biting her nipple and sucking her perfect breast, he left marks everywhere he dared kissed her.

She pulled her hair out of the bun and let her hair cascade down on his shoulders. The moment of heat had just intensified to new heights. She could hear him growling in anticipation. Without notice he moved her from the door to his desk with her still clinging to his waist. With one strong hand he held her up, and the other wiped everything off his desk in a single sweeping motion. He put her on the desk roughly, making her slightly lose her breath.

He stood up admiring the angel in front of him. All that was keeping her covered were the see through black lace panties. Her emerald green eyes were more full of life than he had ever seen from her let alone anyone else. Quickly and skillfully he removed his pants and shoes exposing the rest of him. Ava looked down in shock. He was larger than she would have ever expected. Now she was afraid that just his size would hurt her, not that fact he was a vampire. He didn't seem to notice the slight fear in her eyes, he bent down over her and began to kiss all over her body. He traced his tongue from her navel, around her breasts, and up to her lips where he kissed her even more. His hand was gently rubbing her through her panties.

Ava slowly propped herself up on her elbows. He for once was confused, but allowed her to get up. Sliding off the table she put her finger on his chest and pushed him back into his large office chair. He sat looking up at her with an evil smile. She smiled back at him and kissed his lips softly before slowly getting on her knees. Looking at his manhood up close, she took him with her hands and began to work her way up and down. He wasn't use to a woman taking control in the bedroom, but was enjoying every second of it. She began to kiss him and slowly worked him down her throat.

Moving her head up and down, he was growling in delight as she worked her magic. He was finding it beyond erotic that her mouth was filled with him deep inside her. He rubbed his hand in her hair feeling how soft it was, and also to guide her up and down his thick shaft.

Growing impatient, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up, in a sexy and dominating way. She could only smile, because she knew they were nearing the point of full submission to one another. He pulled her over to the large bed and stopped her just short of it. He kissed her but suddenly pushed her back onto the bed. He climbed on standing on his knees. Admiring her for a moment before he turned her over onto her hands and knees and began to kiss her backside. Ripping the lace into two pieces she was now completely bare. Bending down he kissed her delicate flower, fondling it with his tongue. Slipping in a finger or two, she was remembering the night they shared, but enjoying this one more. She was moaning in pleasure as he worked his fingers in and out rough and hard.

Growing tired of just foreplay, he wanted more, and he knew she did too. Sitting up on his knees, he positioned himself behind her. Slowly he began to fill every inch of her. He knew he was larger than most. It was hard for him to not just thrust inside of her, but he didn't want to hurt her any more than he had to. She was moaning in both pain and ecstasy as he slowly began to pump inside her. Her body was slowly adjusting to his size, and he began to thrust harder and deeper. She had never felt this immense pleasure in her life. She thought she had experienced this type of pleasure before, but tonight was proving her wrong in every way.

Animal sounds were escaping from his lips as she was screaming and moaning. He grabbed her by the hair holding her head back. He kissed her back and shoulders, dragging his fangs across her skin. She was slowly bleeding as he created small cuts. He sucked what little blood she offered him, sending him into ecstasy as well. Flipping her over, she laid on her back now completely out of breath. Before she knew it, he thrusted deep into her letting a moan escape from her lips. His hands were fondling her breasts as he rocked both her and the bed back and forth in motion.

"Oh my God…" She muttered to herself in pleasure. He knew she was on the brink of climax, and he was nearing it as well. He wanted to make it last though. He pulled out, having her wait on her long anticipated orgasm. She looked at him as he just kissed her. She was frustrated that he would stop the way he did. Getting from underneath him she flipped him on his back. Taking control once more she climbed on top of him. She worked him masterfully up and down. He was enjoying the view of her breasts bouncing as she worked herself on him. She was just as skilled in the art of love making as he was. It was shocking to him because he had centuries to master this, and she was barely in her twenties and she was making him sound like a beast.

He wanted to climax he was so close, and he could feel her ready to climax as well. Throwing her off him and next to him on the bed he got up and dragged her to stand up on the floor. He turned her around so her back was facing him. She braced herself on the window ledge as he thrusted deep inside her. He pumped vigorously inside her filling her in every way. He could feel himself on the verge. She was screaming, "Vlad!" over and over again with every pump. He could feel her tighten and quiver around his shaft as she let out a long sinful moan. He continued to thrust inside her experiencing an intense orgasm as well. She felt him release his manhood inside her, but he continued to thrust but softly trying to get every bit of the orgasm for the both of them.

Both of them were weak and shaking in pleasure. He had to practically drag her to the bed where they both collapsed. She rested her head on his cold chest, still feeling her stomach shake. His fingertips gently brushed up and down on her arm as they both lie there motionless. '_What have I done?_' he thought to himself. He knew he had put her life at risk. She had slept with him and soon she would go into an undeniable sickness. He wanted this moment to happen for so long, but now she was being ripped from his arms.

"What will happen to me?" She asked him, thinking the same disturbing thoughts. There was a long pause before he could answer her. She was remembering all the rumors she heard of girls dying when they slept with a vampire. And the girl just a couple months ago that passed after sleeping with Jean.

"You will begin to die." He muttered. This is why he had not allowed himself to love her they way he wanted for so long.

"Is it painful?" She asked staring off into the distance as he now began to caress her hair.

"It is by far the most pain any mortal will ever endure." He tried not to scare her, but she needed to know the truth.

"I'm so young. I wanted to do so much in my life." She said softly, a tear began to stream down her face. She had given up her entire life to have this one moment with him. Even though it was a harsh consequence, she wouldn't take a second back.

He fell silent again but propped himself on one elbow to look at her. "There is a way." He muttered. She stared at him with hope.

"It is more painful than death itself, and I have only known one or two to survive from it." He brushed his hand across her rosy cheek. She looked lost and distraught. How was she going to survive what few had, whatever it may be?

"I have never done this before, I don't even know if it will work." He looked her, pausing for a moment. "I have to drain most of your blood to get the poison out. But I cannot give you any blood or you will become like me." She looked terrified.

"Your body will feel like it is dying, your organs shutting down and your heart slowing." He didn't want to tell her anymore. "I cannot feed you, your body will reject it. I can only give you water blessed by a priest. The water will cleanse your body of my poison and slowly you will heal." Pausing for a moment. "if you survive."

"How long will it take for me to," She corrected herself. "If I survive, how long will it take?"

"That I do not know. The story I heard it took a girl more than a week to become well. But there are so few stories that I do not know." He hung his head in disappointment over the truth. Never had he been this close with anyone, even Aleera. There was a deep emotional connection between them two and he felt as though he had a soul again.

"Will I ever be able to be close to you again if I survive?" She asked as she placed her hand on his chest.

"Yes, once a mortal has rid themselves of the poison, they are immune to ever being sick again." He looked down at her longingly. He would never expect for her to put herself through so much pain just for someone like him, but she surprised him with her words.

"Do it." She said, looking up at him. He began to hesitate, trying to talk her out of this horrible decision. She quickly shut him up and demanded that he bite her.

He looked at her one last time with her eyes full of life and softly placed his lips upon hers. Kissing her passionately he slowly kissed down her cheek and to her fully exposed neck. Taking a moment to prepare himself, he bit hard into her neck.

A gasp of pain escaped from her lips, but she remained quiet as he sucked her practically dry. He had never tasted blood so sweet and pure. Trying to not turn into an absolute beast with the taste of her fresh blood, he gently drained her of life. She slowly was becoming more and more limp in his arms, her body turning ghostly pale. He could barely hear her heartbeat, but he needed to keep feeding. He had to put her at the brink of death. Within minutes her heartbeat was barely audible. Retracting his fangs out of her neck, she lie before him, eyes closed and shallow breaths passing her lips.

He pulled back and looked at her. It was a sight he never wanted to see. It was heart wrenching to know she was dying right before him. Gently he placed her head on his soft pillow and pulled the sheets and warm covers over her exposed body. Kissing her softly on her icy cold forehead he began to get dressed and ran out the door to the library to help him save the only woman he ever truly loved.


	17. Sinful Souls

Dracula rushed to the massive library to dwell over the collection of books he had accumulated over the last couple centuries. Bursting through the doors, the adrenaline was surging through his cold blood. He couldn't imagine losing Ava. Immediately he rushed up the rolling ladder that rolled across all the bookshelves in the entire room. Climbing to the top, he quickly scanned through the titles cursing under his breath as he wasn't finding anything useful. He spent an hour throwing useful books to the floor and continuing onto the next section. By the time he was at a stopping point he had a massive stack of books to comb through to find his answers.

He sat at his desk and opened the first book. The task was daunting, but he needed to do it, there was nothing that was going to stop him. He only had a certain amount of time before Ava would be lost forever. Hours passed, yet it seemed just like minutes. He had found very little useful bits of information, but it was a start. Opening the cover to an ancient book, older than he was, he wiped the dust off the pages. He had hit the jackpot, this book was the original Book of Vampires. The first book ever written about the life and death of a vampire and what had to be done in order to survive. Flipping the pages, he was gathering knowledge of the basic principles of being a vampire, some that he had never thought of before. Opening to a new chapter, he found his answers.

"_If a vampire so chooses to be intimate with a mortal, they have the option of turning that mortal into one of their own, or they shall nurse the mortal back to pristine health to become immune to their touch and sins. Once a vampire has touched a mortal in such a way where it is cast upon as a sin from the wretched God above, they are plagued with a sickness that so few can survive. Though it is not known the exact measures as to keeping a mere mortal alive, there are some with successful tales of their partners being able to open their eyes in a successful response. _

_The mortal must acquire a pure heart, one that is not tainted with evils in the world. If a mortal has a pure heart they are given the chance to survive. Only the innocent can survive such a fate. Once you have decided that the mortal possesses this trait, then you must take the next step of proving their fate to God that they are strong enough to survive. The reason for their immanent dying is simply because God is punishing them for casting the ultimate sin. You must have sacrifices to give to this God that you too are willing to keep this mortal alive. _

_Only the Sire of the mortal, simply stated in other words as the demon who casted such a sin can give the sacrifices. Though none are proven, a demon must reconcile with the God they so damned themselves against along with purging the sins of the mere mortal. It is said the Vatican has knowledge of ridding the deadly sickness, but has never been written or documented, only passed down from word of mouth. So few have successfully survived a doomed fate that it is unknown of what the sacrifices may entail. "_

Slamming the book shut, the Count ran out of the room and quickly towards his bedroom where he found a sickly pale and feverish Ava lying motionless on his bed. He could still hear the shouts and laughter of the party below his bedroom but paid no attention to it. Quickly he wrapped several layers of blankets around her frail body and scooped her into his arms. Running down the corridors he raced to the large wooden entrance doors. Within seconds he was off into the cold and brisk night sky with Ava tightly wrapped in his arms. He flew with devilish speed like he had never done before. The wind was cold even against his own dead skin, but it didn't slow him down any.

Hours passed, his bat like wings tired and sore, but he pushed further into the night. Before long he reached the forbidden steps of the Vatican. Harshly landing on the ancient cobblestone street he slowly returned back to his human form. Panting and weak, he walked up the stairs to the church itself. It is already a sin for his kind to step foot on such holy land, but possibly an even greater sin that Ava was naked beneath the blankets, nothing to cover her.

Reaching the large elaborate doors, he held Ava in one hand and used his other to bang on the door. It seemed to take every ounce of energy he had. He could feel more than just the usual two strands of hair in his face. Minutes later the door opened and there stood an altar boy. Fear immediately struck his face at the sight of the unwelcomed guests.

"You are not welcomed here!" He began to slam the door shut, but Dracula was too quick and slammed it back open.

"I come here to make a sacrifice. Please, I am here to purge her sins." He looked at the altar boy longingly. The young boy looked down at the frail body in his arms. He seemed to try to contemplate whether to allow him to enter, but within seconds he opened the door wider allowing the demon to pass through the holy doors.

Walking down the massive church he could feel his inner demon scream inside him, his insides hot with fire and repulsion. At the end of the church stood a massive cross with Jesus staring down at him. It was quite visual and he could feel him looking into his hollow soul.

"Wait here." The boy left him beneath the cross and ran off into a side room.

Dracula hugged Ava closer for comfort and kissed her head, whispering to her that everything was going to be ok. Minutes seemed to drag on, until he heard shuffling of feet. Coming out the same door the altar boy disappeared behind stood the old and fragile Pope. He was dressed in the finest robes, but looked as if he was just awoken from a slumber. It was late into the night, but he still stood there awake and alert at the presence of his new guest.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here Vladislaus." He said under a soft tone. Dracula stood there before him, speechless. He would have never imagined stepping foot back in this place since after he was turned into a demon. They looked into each other's eyes, nothing being said with an uncomfortable silence. The Pope noticed the young girl in his arms. Shuffling towards the Count, he placed his hand on Ava's fiery hot forehead.

"Poor child." He whispered.

"I need you to save her." Dracula said, staring down at the Pope. He continued to caress her cheek before he looked up.

"You are a demon, and you have sinned this poor child of God to hell. There isn't much I can do for her. Or you for that matter." The room suddenly felt tense.

"Do not punish her for my own sins, she is innocent." He pleaded.

"She willingly accepted a known fate when you corrupted her. She is equally as sinned as you." The Pope stood there now with hands behind his back, staring up at the cross.

"Please, she is different." He said stepping closer to him. The Pope looked at his dead eyes now full of emotion.

"She is pure and angelic. She has done no harm to any soul in this wretched world. I beg you to help her. I…" He paused looking down at her. "I…..love her."

With a raised eyebrow he watched the demon experience the emotions he hadn't felt in centuries.

"I have heard stories of you Vlad. I have heard horrific tales that even which I cannot stand to listen to. You have torn villages and towns apart, taken the lives of innocent children of God, given your soul to the devil, and terrorized this world. And you stand before me asking for help."

Vlad stood there his head bowed down, in shame knowing this was going nowhere.

"As many tales of horror I have heard about you, never once did I ever hear of you in love. I see that this child of God brings your soul back from the devil. Though it may be little, but I see you not as the son of the devil, but as a man who is in love. A man who will do anything to help her." Dracula looked up hoping to hear the words he wanted.

"As against the church and the Order, I am inclined to deny you. But as a man who believes in forgiveness and possibly looking upon a better future of all humanity, I shall help you."

The count felt an emotion he hadn't felt in years. A slight glimmer of happiness shined in his empty heart. The Pope smiled and walked briskly out of the church with the vampire following his every step. They went through a maze of buildings where they finally entered a set of doors.

In front of them stood a practically empty stone room, with a standing cross in the only window. Red tea light candles were scattered throughout the cramped room. A tapestry hung on the opposite wall. The Pope walked to the tapestry and moved it aside revealing a hidden door. Bringing out a golden key from deep within the pockets of his robes, he unlocked the door. The creaking of the old wooden door was loud, but didn't faze either of them.

Before them were a set of spiral stairs. A lone torch hung at the entrance lighting only so much. The old man grabbed the torch and descended down the spiral stairs. Finally reaching to a room, he slowly began to make his way to the rest of the torches, engulfing the room with light.

Standing frozen, Dracula looked around and saw what looked to be a room of torture. He knew methods of torture very well as he use to use them on men he fought with centuries ago. Wooden tables with straps for the legs, arms and head scattered the massive room. Various torture devices lay across tables, and other devices, some of which he had never seen before. Chains hung on the stone walls with cuffs at the end to hold the unfortunate soul in place.

The Pope walked to a partially empty table and began moving things off, motioning for Dracula to set Ava on there. Gently placing her down, he looked at her and noticed how even more sickly she looked than before they left the castle.

"We must know she is pure and innocent." The Pope muttered. Unwrapping her hand from the blankets, he took a dagger and stabbed the tip of her finger. Dracula wanted to lunge at the holy man for hurting her, but held back. Squeezing the end of her finger, he forced blood to pour out. While holding her finger, he reached for a vial of what looked to be water. Putting it under her finger, he allowed the blood to drip in the water. The blood began to mix and swirl in reaction to it being mixed with the water.

"She does have a pure heart. Her blood mixed with the Holy water without resilience." Dracula stood there watching the Pope stir the mixed liquid with one arm crossed against his chest and the other one stroking his chin. He didn't know what to expect from all this, there was no description or the slightest hint as to what was needed in curing Ava of this sickness.

"She must be bathed in Holy water." He said looking up at him. Dracula stared at him waiting for the next part of the sentence. With a cocked eyebrow he waited. "She must be bathed by you…." He stared at the man before him. This must have been part of the sacrifice to prove her worthy. Mentally preparing for the intense pain he was about to endure, he walked over to Ava and scooped her into his arms.

The Pope guided him to an empty wash bin, began to fill it with buckets of Holy water that he himself blessed and prepared. With Ava still in his arms wrapped in blankets, he watched the tub slowly fill. Once filled, the Pope stared at him and nodded. Slowly unwrapping her frail body from the safety of the blankets she soon was naked in his arms. Slowly sliding her into the tub, he felt the flesh of his cold dead skin sear off. In agonizing pain he gritted through his teeth, his eyes dilating in reaction. Removing his hands from the water, he looked at his horribly burned skin. It was as if someone poured a flesh eating acid, and all that was left was little muscle and bone. Giving himself only moments to heal, he noticed the water was suddenly steaming. Ava was turning bright red, and it only took him seconds to realize it was scorching her skin, burning her.

"What the hell!" He said as he reached down to grab her, but the Pope stopped him. "Let her be! She must purge the sins from her body! You will ruin everything if you remove her!" Staring at the old man in frustration, he ripped his jacket and shirt off, exposing his pale skin. Reaching into the water through gritted teeth and searing pain, he washed her. Washed her of his sins as well as hers. Yelling in agony, he pushed through.

"How much longer dammit!?" He screamed.

"Until her body stops reacting…." Said the Pope as he watched wide eyed whispering prayers to himself. He could feel the Holy water eat away at every bit of his skin, slowly going through each layer, more agonizing than the one before. It seemed like hours of him washing her but it had only been 20 minutes. Slowly her body turned back to her normal color, not quite as full of life, but better than before.

"You may take her out now." The Pope said with a sigh of relief. Reaching deep into the tub, he picked her up quickly placed her back on the table. She was naked and fully exposed. The Priest grabbed one of the blankets that wrapped her before and placed it on her vulnerable body. Dracula collapsed in pain and exhaustion. He couldn't bear to watch how slowly his skin was healing.

"We must continue if we are going to stop the progression." The Pope said as he was preparing for the next task at hand. Looking up the Pope guided him to one of the sets of chains hanging on the wall. "I must lock you in place for not just my own protection, but to make sure you don't stop me."

Dracula couldn't imagine what he was about to endure. Allowing himself to be chained, his arms hung above his head. They were still healing from the acidic water, and even his chest had been burned to almost nothing. He was just beginning to form the first layer of muscle, when all the sudden the Pope put something cold against his heart and pressed firmly. Suddenly and instantly the coldness turned into a fire pressed firmly against him. Yelling in pain he looked down and saw the Pope had a silver cross smashed into his chest, while he prayed and recited verses from the bible.

Closing his eyes in pain, he suddenly felt hot fingers draw a cross on his forehead. The hot burning sensation that scorched his skin was suddenly making its way through his head. His vision was going black, his ears ringing loud enough where he couldn't hear the Pope and his holy words. It seemed like his head was going to explode with all the pressure and fire built up inside. He couldn't hear his own screams, just the panic of his dead emotions.

Slowly the fire spread down his neck, closing off his throat, making his mouth suddenly completely dry. His teeth ached and the fire spread to his chest where he felt his dead organs come alive in pain. It felt as though he was literally melting from the inside, feeling every bit of pain, unable to heal himself quick enough before the fire would spread to the rest of his body. Suddenly visions of every human he killed, every soul he tortured, every scream he had caused clouded his mind and took over. Never had he cared nor felt such intensity of his wretched past and the horrible things he had caused. It was as if his human soul was trying to regain itself, nothing he had ever experienced before. He felt pain of his victims, he could feel their fear and the racing heartbeats that he abruptly stopped when he bit them and drank them dry. It had been centuries of no emotions, no second thoughts, but now he was filled with guilt and shame of all the hell he had caused in this world.

It went on forever it seemed, but slowly he was able to pull himself out of the searing pain and guilt and regain some sort of self control. The Pope stood mere feet away watching him. "What's happening to me?" He muttered through a clenched jaw. "You are regaining what you have lost….a soul. You are feeling all the pain you caused, and the guilt of a conscience."

Feeling weak and his body shaking, he hung by his chained wrists, unable to stand. His body was exhausted and the pain still rendering inside his body. Suddenly he dropped to the floor, realizing the Pope had unlocked him from his restraints. His skin was beginning to cool, his mind slowly becoming more clear, and the pain from his chest beginning to subside. He felt as though he was being reborn, a new person, a new man. But he wasn't a new man, he simply was regaining his soul he lost centuries ago that was now foreign.

Mustering all the strength he could, he looked up to see Ava breathing a steady breath, her cheeks rosy pink, and her skin healed from all the burns. Sighing in relief, he knew that was the sacrifice the book had talked about. He gave up part of his inner demon for this girl. Not only had he spit in the face of God when he turned immortal, but he spit in the Devil's face for regaining his soul. The Pope stood over Ava, brushing her cheeks, and touching her hair delicately. He was satisfied with the outcome. Walking over to the Count, he stood before him staring down at the pathetic state he was in. "You sacrificed what was needed to save this child. She will regain strength and return to her normal state." Smiling, Dracula shook his head. A funny and horrific thought crossed his mind. What if she didn't even love him? What if she would just leave him as soon as he brought her back to the castle?

"You must follow one rule though Count." The Pope said staring at him. Looking up he waited patiently for the stipulation. "You mustn't bite her, or you will lose your soul and she will die instantly. She must remain mortal until her natural death. Do I make myself clear?" Staring in disbelief he couldn't believe what the Pope had just said. He wasn't planning on biting her, but he couldn't imagine living until the end of the world without her by his side. Nodding his head, he slowly got up. Looking at one of the mirrors in the room, he noticed the mark of where the cross had burned him. It was permanently scarred over his heart, a constant reminder of his sacrifice.

Walking over to Ava, he bent down and kissed her softly on her forehead whispering, "Anything for you my darling…."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, its been really incredibly hectic around here especially with school. Bear with me, I may not update every week, but I will do my best. Thank you guys so much for the reviews and messages :) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**


	18. What is Best

Every ounce of energy he had was ripped from him during the course of the long night. Ava still hadn't awoke, but he never left her side. The Pope was generous enough to allow the both of them stay in an empty bedroom. Though his body was sore, torn, and withered to almost nothing, his mind raced with thoughts. Being in a place where God was solely the purpose of these people's lives seemed unnatural to him, sending intense anxiety through his still blood. Ava still hadn't awoken from the sickness, though her color was almost back to normal. And the intense guilt of his past immediately awoke him when he fell asleep with night terrors and the screams of innocence being ripped from their throats.

The bed that both he and Ava lay on was softer than any other, but it was too soft. He was use to his cold hard coffin, and the security of stone slabs protecting him from the sun's rays. It had been only one day and he felt restless to leave, but more restless waiting for Ava to wake. He found himself staring at her for hours, admiring her beauty without any of her smart comments slipping through her lips. Getting too restless, he managed to stagger out of bed, trying to regain some strength in his weak legs. Slipping out the door quietly he quickly found the Pope walking the long hallway talking to a young and promising altar boy.

Standing there, he waited for the old man to notice his presence. Clearing his throat slightly, he looked up. Finishing his sentence with the boy, he told him to return to his studies. Gracefully he placed his hands in front of him with a slight smile across his aged face.

"I see you are up and walking." He said with a glimmer in his eye.

"Yes, but she still hasn't woken. I must ask for an arrangement of a carriage by sunset." The Count said softly, still too weak to impose any power he normally would.

"I will see to it that you will be on your way this evening. But know that you are welcomed to remain here if you so choose."

"No I must decline. I am not exactly use to being within the walls of a church for so long, especially now." The weak man was trying his best to not offend the man who had given back the life of his love.

"I understand. You must be hungry. But unfortunately I cannot arrange a meal for you, it would be against my religion and morals." The Pope said cautiously.

With a smile, Dracula nodded in agreement. "We shall leave at sunset then." He said softly walking away back to the security of his room.

(Transition)

The moon hung high above the carriage with clear skies. It was a half moon, nearing to a full. It is best that he regain his lost strength before his animal servants went on their hunts for a new human to turn. He had paid little attention to the werewolves since the arrival of Ava. Too many things had happened, realizing to himself he has lost control of his life over the last several months.

The carriage swayed side to side with the occasional bump due to the horrendous roads to his castle. Hours had passed in the carriage, and Ava cradled in his arms. He knew soon they would be at the entrance of his enormous home, and he could feed to quench his hunger pains of his hollow stomach. If he had the energy he would have flown back, but it seemed impossible just to think about let alone do. Another hour or so had passed and it was early morning. The sky was beginning to lighten, but they were just mere minutes from the castle.

Finally seeing the familiar sight, he a little more. The old butler stood patiently at the front for his master. Coming to a complete stop, Dracula climbed out the carriage door, with Ava in his arms. The birds were just beginning to sing their morning tunes. "Welcome back Master." Said the old man as he opened the large door.

There was a shuffle of young girls who had already begun their list of chores. He could hear hushed whispers and looks of disgust as he walked past them with Ava cradled in his arms. He knew they despised her, probably now more than ever. Ignoring them he walked down the long corridor and up the main stairs when he finally reached his bedroom. Placing her gently on his bed, he tucked in her body to preserve her warmth. The Vatican spared an oversized shirt that covered her down to her knees. Her body was still weak and was having trouble keeping up with a normal temperature. Her heart rate was still slow, but it was beating and that was all that mattered.

After tucking her in snuggly in layers of blankets, he could feel the intense hunger pains begging him to feed. Walking out of the room, he headed to the cellar of aged blood. Slowly combing through each bottle, he found one that had been perfectly aged. Heading to the kitchen, he came across a mousy girl.

"Please warm this up to the precise temperature." He said staring down at her. She seemed shocked he was talking and that he was scolding her with an intense glare.

"Yes Sir." She replied sweetly.

He knew of this girl. She was the ring leader of making Ava's time here miserable. Melissa was her name. Though he hadn't really bothered to learn more about her, or any of the other girls, he still felt as if he should say something. He had heard every rumor since the beginning of time spread throughout the walls of his castle, but this twit of a girl had spread some of the most viscous ones of Ava and him. She huddled over the fire carefully preparing his first meal in days. She seemed anxious with him in the room, her mind wandering to distant thoughts.

"_Shouldn't Ava being serving him? She's his whore for a reason. Nothing but an ass to grab and parade around the rest of us while we slave over him and his wretched bride's needs."_

Smiling he stared at her, reading her every thought.

"_She deserves everything she's gotten so far. Throw her out into the river for all I care, the world could do without her. If only she knew what was coming. Overly jealous women always give the best revenge."_

Cocking an eyebrow he continued his intense gaze.

"_Geez would he stop staring at me? Though I wouldn't mind if he seduced me like the legends. God I could just-"_

"Uh-hem." He said clearing his throat.

Quickly Melissa glanced over and stared at him. "It would be wise that you focus on what you're doing my dear….." He said with a shallow voice.

Fear lit up in her eyes. Slowly she was beginning to realize he read her every thought. With prayers answered, the blood was at perfect temperature and ready to be served. She grabbed a silver goblet and filled it with the warm liquid. Walking slowly over to him, careful not to spill any of his dinner she handed it to him. He continued to stare at her, bearing down onto her soul. He grabbed it and took a sip. He savored the taste of the fresh meal. Immediately his body strengthened with every drop.

Staring at her still, he lifted a soft hand and gently caressed her cheek. Brushing it up and down with his fingers, moving strands of her hair away from her face. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his touch. She practically purred in his hand. He smiled softly and she stared into his deep icy blue eyes. Bringing his fingers to her chin, he suddenly gripped her hard and turned her head harshly towards his face. Her heart skipped a few beats; she was panicking as he continued to hold her in place.

"You would do best if you not mess with the order of my castle…." He said through gritted teeth. Her breathing was quickened and he could sense her intense fear. Without warning he slapped her hard across her tender face, knocking her into the kitchen table. She quickly looked up, with tears and confusion across her face, but not a single whimper slipping past her lips.

"Do….I….make….myself….clear?" He said annunciating every word. She quickly nodded her hand holding her swollen cheek in comfort. Turning away he walked out of the room and continued to sip from the goblet.

(Transition)

It had been days and Ava remained still in her bed, no sign of her rousing out of her deep sleep. The Count tried to keep himself busy with meaningless tasks around the castle, but also caring to her needs. He watched over her hoping she would wake soon so he would know she was ok. His strength was back and he had quickly learned that having a soul wasn't going to be an easy task.

Normally he would go out and hunt for a human to feed his hunger, but every time he cornered one and exposed their neck to his mouth, he would suddenly feel an intense guilt and shame he was about to take a human life. Many times he threw the unfortunate human to the ground and tell them never to return to that area again. His stomach ached in pain, but the amount of guilt and displeasure of ending an innocent life seemed almost unbearable.

He was known as Vlad the Impaler. He was also known to be vicious beyond reason and was to be feared throughout the world. Now he was left in his cellar picking out his finest bottle of decent blood to feed the demon within him. Even then he found it repulsive, but knew he needed to feed. Even with his reign over the werewolves, he seemed to lack control that he use to have. He would instantly snap the neck of a defiant creature of his, but he couldn't manage the actual action. What sort of demon was he? Feeling like he had lost himself, he found himself consoling his feelings with taking care of Ava.

He was in his study reading a favorite of his when someone unexpected walked in the room.

"Darling! Where have you been my dear? I was beginning to worry over you." Aleera sauntered in the room with eyes of sexual hunger baring down on him. Looking up past his glasses ever so slightly he smiled a soft grin.

"Well I would think you would have noticed my absence presence if you hadn't run off with your girlfriends to the latest designer in Budapest." He had hardly seen Aleera since the party. When she noticed he was back from the Vatican she immediately pleaded that he spend time with her and asked too many questions for his own comfort. As far as he knew, Aleera hadn't the slightest idea of the night that he and Ava shared or the fact that he was given back his soul for the return of Ava's good health. He didn't want to approach the subject with her and quickly learned to shut her down if she began to ask.

"I missed you my prince…." Aleera purred as she worked herself onto his lap. She moved her cold fingers into his silk shirt to caress his bare muscular skin. She kissed his cheek and bit down on his ear, tugging at the golden hoop earring. With her kissing him and sucking on his skin he tried to fight the urge of returning any of her sexual actions.

"Take me to the dungeon….." She smiled as she whispered sensually in his ear. He growled an animalistic growl in anticipation. The thoughts of Ava crossed his mind and how he wanted only her, not the demon sitting on his lap playing with his manhood. But with those thoughts, he slowly was forgetting them. He had forgotten how good Aleera was in bed, and how she could sinfully seduce anyone she pleased with little effort. Finally he lost to her and he kissed her feverishly. His raging emotions of sexual desires took over him.

Suddenly a heavy book flung at them and shattered the window behind them. Immediately they both looked over at the doorway to find Ava standing there, with her breath rising and falling heavily as she stared in disbelief at the despicable scene in front of her.

Aleera growled and before Ava could realized, Aleera had her pinned to the bookshelf behind her. "How dare you! YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Aleera screamed at Ava.

"Let her go!" Dracula bellowed. Aleera didn't look over or lower Ava to the ground. Ava clutched the cold hand around her neck and neither of them broke their gaze at one another.

"I said let her go…." He growled again in a harsh and dominating tone. Looking past her shoulder, Aleera seemed to gather her thoughts and slowly let her down. As soon as Ava's feet touched the ground, she slapped the vampire's hand away from her neck. Look of fury was on both of their faces.

Walking over, Dracula stared at Ava, watching her continuing to stare at his bride. "Leave us." He said in more harsh words. Aleera chuckled at Ava. She looked at her, waiting for the young redhead to leave. Rolling his eyes he said in a more annoyed tone, "I mean you…." He said turning his gaze to Aleera.

Her face of laughter suddenly turned cold as she looked at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe that her master was telling her to leave. He was more in love with this brat than his own bride. Growling, she cursed under her breath as she pushed her way past both of them.

Ava watched Aleera leave with intensity in her eyes. Dracula noticed her distraction and gently caressed her cheek. She looked up at him, with the same look she gave Aleera and without warning she punched him hard in the face. "Bastard." She muttered under her breath before turning her heel and walking out the door.


	19. A Change of Heart

Muttering profanity under his breath Dracula quickly ran after Ava in hopes he could calm her down. She was already running down the hall to her room where she quickly slammed the door in his face as soon as he reached the doorway. Growling he swung it back open and saw Ava standing in the tall window. "Get out…." She spoke coolly under her breath.

"Darling you are going to weaken yourself. Please lay…." He began.

Turning around she spit words of venom. "DO….NOT…..CALL….ME….THAT." Anger was visibly plastered on her face. Cocking an eyebrow he walked over to her. She stood her ground. "And what do you suppose I call you?" He replied calmly. He was nearly touching her, chest to chest. She looked down for a moment, almost as though she were trying to regain her composure. But without warning she slapped him hard in the face for a second time in just minutes.

An animalist growl came under his breath and he grabbed both her arms and held them tightly against his chest. "You my dear need to calm yourself and start acting like a lady." They were now both furious with one another.

"I don't take orders from the undead…." She hissed at him.

"You are pinching my last nerve, I would suggest you change your attitude before…."

"Before what? Before you run off with your whore of a bride!" Ava was obviously angry with Aleera trying to lure him to her chambers.

"She is not my whore, and I wouldn't consider her a bride. She is simply nothing but a nuisance under the roof of this castle." He said trying to calm the both of them.

"I would have never guessed considering the fact that you looked quite excited to feed your inner beast." Ava was still angry.

Chuckling, Dracula smiled a cunning and sensual smile. "Is that what you're calling it these days." He said jokingly. Ava was beyond annoyed he found the situation to be amusing.

"This isn't funny. How dare you make this into a joke!" She struggled to remove her wrists out of his hands, but he held them firmly.

"If I didn't know any better, I would assume you are the jealous one right now." He said smiling down at her with his cold blue eyes. She looked directly into them. She noticed something different, something had changed in them. It was almost as if there was a hint of life behind them. It was impossible though. She had to remind herself he was still a vampire.

"I see you noticed…." He said under his breath. Those words immediately brought her out of her thoughts.

"Noticed what? The fact that you're still a demon?" She said with a quick wit.

He let go of her hands and moved in closer to her, pressing her against the cold stone wall. He gently moved her hair out of her flustered face and looked deep within her soul. Ava couldn't explain what was different, but there was definitely something there that hadn't existed before.

Gently he placed his cold lips upon her full ones and took in the sweet seduction of her scent, and the soft skin that caressed his face. Parting her lips with his tongue, he gently kissed her enjoying every bit of sensation he was engulfed in. He felt a fire within his newly alive soul. Slowly they parted ways.

"There's something different." She muttered.

Smiling he replied, "I did a lot to save you my dear, more than you can imagine." She looked up at him confused, not knowing what he had done exactly.

"I woke up and I was so confused…..and I looked for you…..and found you with…..with her." She said in frustration.

"I wanted to be there when you awoke, but you have been asleep for nearly a week now." She gasped. She didn't have the slightest idea that it had been that long. She felt it had only been a day or two.

"What happened?" Now even more confused.

"Well, you became very ill and I found a cure. But I had to sacrifice a lot to make you mine." He whispered in her ear as he kissed her earlobe. She put her hands on his cold chest, accepting his sensitive touch.

She moved her hands beneath his silk shirt where she quickly gasped at the feeling of a massive scar across his heart. Quickly she pulled his shirt down to reveal the cross burned into his chest. Her hand moved to her mouth as she gasped, while the other softly touched it. He looked down at her and smiled. It was always going to remind him of his sacrifice for her.

Slowly he took her tentative hand and placed it flat against his wounded chest. She cringed, thinking she was hurting him. But to her surprise, she felt something she would have never expected. Warmth. His skin was warm to the touch like hers, but only within the scar. With instinct, she gently placed her ear to his chest. She could faintly here a repetitive thud in his chest, one that was completely unfamiliar.

Quickly she looked up at him in shock. "You have a heartbeat." She couldn't believe what she had heard, or felt. Smiling he cupped her chin in his hand and brought her lips to his. She kissed him passionately but he quickly pulled away. She stared at him in confusion. "You need to rest."

"No I don't. I have had plenty of rest." She tried to kiss him again but he pulled her away.

"You were near death not too long ago. Your body still needs to heal." He brought her over the bed. She wanted to resist, but she knew he was right. She did feel exhausted already even though she had only been up for an hour.

Pulling back the covers he guided her to the bed where she gently laid down. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead. Turning he began to leave, but her hand quickly found his wrist. She held him back. "Please don't leave me." She pleaded.

Smiling he gave into her request and slowly climbed into the bed next to her. Cradling her in his arms, she placed her head on his chest, hearing the soothing sound of the faint and distant heartbeat.

(Transition)

Ava awoke with the evening sun slowly descending below the thick Transylvanian mountains. It had been a couple days since she first woke from the sickness. It had been relatively calm within the castle walls, though Aleera seemed more annoying than ever. She always seemed to be at the heel of the Count begging for attention. And to her amusement he hardly acknowledged her presence. Ava hadn't ventured too far out from Dracula's chambers, trying to not waste what precious energy she had.

Peeking behind the dark curtain, careful to not let the rays of the sun cascade into the room, she admired the gorgeous sight of the vibrant array of colors. She hadn't watched the sun set in ages, and found it peaceful beyond anything.

With the sun fully behind the mountains, she tip toed to the bathroom, careful to not wake the Count. Slowly she undressed from her night gown and looked at herself in the large mirror. She had lost weight, a dramatic amount since she was sick. She was too boney for her liking. Her ribs were visible and her precious curves were less noticeable. Sighing in frustration of the sight, she turned and walked to the large marble shower.

The hot steamy water warmed her cold skin instantly. It felt amazing on her body. The castle always seemed to be abnormally cold, but she knew it would be near impossible to heat the entire estate with the technology of this day and age. Her thoughts were wandering as she let the water run down her face and chest. The one thing she was incredibly grateful for is the fact her breasts had seemed to stay the same size. They were still large and full, perfectly round and still her favorite feature.

Suddenly a pair of cold hands ripped her from her thoughts. Gasping she quickly turned around to find him standing there, completely bare and his dark hair out of his familiar ponytail. He smiled down at her, admiring her perfection. He too had noticed her dramatic weight loss, but knew she would get her sensual curves back within a matter of weeks.

"Hello there…" He said in his thick accent.

She smiled and responded quietly. "I tried not to wake you."

"And miss this? If anything I'm a little disappointed you didn't invite me." He said with an evil smile. He softly placed his lips on her neck and sucked on her soft skin, gently biting her trying to tease her. She moaned and giggled at the intoxicating touch. Her hands found his broad shoulders where she held onto as his own hands wandered up and down her body.

They had reached her full breasts and he gently squeezed and caressed them moving his kisses lower to her chest. He could hear her heartbeat quicken, but stopped himself before they both got too excited. Ava looked at him in frustration. "Why did you stop?" She demanded.

"You are still far too weak. I don't want to push you too far." He replied calmly.

"No, I want you to push me over the edge. I want you inside me." She pleaded. She moved her hand to his groin, but quickly had her wrist surrounded by his hand.

"You need to rest. I promise we can, but only when you are ready." He said. Turning he walked out of the shower and wrapped a dark black towel around his waist, walking out the door leaving Ava there flustered underneath the water.

Quickly she turned it off and grabbed another black towel wrapping it around her slender body. She ran after him into the bedroom.

"Why won't you touch me?" She was fairly annoyed.

Beginning to explain he dropped the towel to the floor exposing his backside to her. "I already told you. You are too weak and your body needs to heal. Trust me, it isn't easy for both of us." He said as he began to get dressed in his usual attire.

"I think I know my own body, and dammit I want you!" She walked over to him still dripping water onto the cold stone.

He turned around and smiled at her. "Darling, I would love to do what I want with you. But you are not in a place right now where you can be so…..physically compromised." He said with careful words.

She huffed in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. "Come, I shall make you some supper." He said with a grin as he kissed her forehead. He walked out the door leaving her standing there agitated beyond anything.

(Transition)

Dinner was spectacular with endless amounts of food. She was eating like she had been starving for months, but she felt like it. Every bit of food engulfed her taste buds and she couldn't seem to eat enough. Vlad sat across the table admiring her. She wasn't afraid to pass up good table manners, and even though he would have found it irritating with anyone else, he found her even more sexy.

He sipped on his goblet of blood, repulsed by the taste but forcing it down his throat. Soon she had slowed down to a stop and threw her napkin on the plate.

"Satisfied?" He said as he took a drink.

"Very much so." She responded still chewing her food.

Soon servants appeared from the kitchen to collect their plates. Ava noticed immediately that Melissa was avoiding eye contact with both her and Dracula. Normally she would have given Ava a deathly glare, but her eyes didn't move from the table. She scurried off into the kitchen, not a single word or sound coming from her mouth.

"That's weird." Ava said as she took a sip from her wine glass.

He raised his eyebrow in question.

"Nothing, she is just acting different." Ava responded as she still looked at the kitchen door.

"Maybe she is having a change of heart." He muttered.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Ava said now looking over at him.

"It means that she was told where her rightful place was in this castle." He said as his finished the last of his blood.

Ava's eyes widened. "What did you tell her?" she demanded.

"It doesn't concern you." He said curtly.

"Really now?" She asked with sarcasm.

"Don't worry yourself over her. She is a twit that was taught a lesson. I do not tolerate such behavior." He began to get up and push his chair in before walking over to Ava.

"I don't need you to fight my battles." Ava muttered as he pulled her chair out.

"It's not your battle I am fighting." He said as he whispered in her ear. She could feel her body quivering at the sound of his thick accent.

"Come, I have business to attend to." He guided her out of the dining hall and to his familiar office. Closing the door behind him Ava collapsed on the loveseat by the fireplace. He walked over to his large desk and sat down with his glasses gently placed on his nose. He spent quite some time filling thing out, and writing down notes as Ava grew bored. She found herself going through his library of books in search of something interesting.

Finally she found a decent book about the Roman Empire. Sitting on the loveseat she read page after page as he continued filling out his paperwork. Hours seemed to pass and the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fireplace and the movement of paper. Ava had fallen asleep, her head tucked within her curled knees and her arms wrapped around them.

He had finished his papers and quietly walked over to Ava. Her breathing was steady, more so than before. Squatting down he admired her angelic face, moving strands of her crimson red hair. Slowly she began to wake up, he just smiled at her.

"What time is it?" She muttered through her arms.

"It's time for bed." He replied soothingly. She was quiet again, nearing into another deep sleep. Laughing to himself he bent over her and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her close to him. Walking into their room he gently placed her on the soft bed tucking her into the thick fur blankets. Slowly he undressed himself to nearly nothing before climbing into the bed with her, holding her frail body in his arms. Kissing her on the forehead he turned off the light on the nightstand. It was quiet and dark, but his eyes shot wide open unexpectedly.

"I love you." She muttered under tired words. Bringing herself closer to him she quickly fell asleep as he felt his new soul jump in excitement.


End file.
